Journey Across Sinnoh
by Turak
Summary: Misty decided to go to Sinnoh with Ash as he tries to enter the Sinnoh league.  But collecting badges won't be his only problem, as Team Rocket has a new ally as they try to take over the world.  Contains pokeshipping mainly with a few hints of other ship
1. The End of a Journey

I don't own Pokemon, any characters, or much of anything else besides all of my computers. If I owed pokemon, would I be writting fan fictions? The only part of this story I own are any made up characters and the overall plot itself.

Well, here it is. The first. The first chapter of the fic. The first chapter I have ever written. Hope you enjoy. And if you enjoy the plot, but think the writting stinks, the writting gets better and better as the story goes on. I have already written the first five chapters, so I know it does. Well, here you go.

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Chapter 1

The End of a Journey, the Beginning of Another

He started in Kanto, and then went on to the Orange Islands. Finally, he headed to Johto. That is where part of him died. His dream carried him on to Hoenn, and then finally back to Kanto. He beat the battle frontier, and declined an offer to become a frontier brain. Then two more of his companions left, followed by the final one. He was all alone. This is the story of Ash Ketchum.

A balloon shaped like a Meowth's head floated above Viridian forest in Kanto. Inside were two tired and worn out people and one Pokémon.

"Why do we keep trying to catch that Pikachu for the boss?" whined a man with blue hair and a drooping posture.

" 'Cause she says so." says a talking Meowth, pointing his paw toward a woman with long purple-red hair.

"The reason we need to capture that Pikachu is because when we finally do, the boss will reward us beyond our wildest dreams. It will also prove to him that we preserver no matter how many setbacks we have." Said the woman.

"Whatever you say Jessie." grumbled the man.

"James, one day you'll see I'm right. You too Meowth." replied Jessie.

Looking through her binoculars, Jessie all of a sudden saw a blinding flash of electricity. "Did you see that?" asked Jessie. Her two other companions were just hanging over the side of the basket, not caring at all. "I said, DID YOU SEE THAT?" yelled Jessie at the two of them.

"I was trying to sleep." moaned James.

As the balloon lowered closer to the ground near a bunch of apple trees, the trio saw a large, furry, yellow Pokémon with two wires sticking out behind it like tails. It had black stripes on its body, arms, and legs, and was holding a bright red apple. Team Rocket landed the balloon behind the bushes, and snuck out with a net launcher. Sneaking up behind it, Meowth fired the net, catching the large yellow Pokémon in the net. Startled, the electric Pokémon sent out bolts of lightning, but the net held. In the distance, a Pokémon trainer with a Pikachu on his shoulder saw the bolt of lightning.

"Did you see that, Pikachu?" asked the boy. He had a blue vest and jeans on with a blue cap that had a half a pokéball on the front.

"Pik, pika chuchu, pikapi." Responded the Pokémon in agreement.

"ElectiVIRE!" shouted the captured Pokémon, echoing throughout the forest. Pidgey, Spearow, and Hoothoot alike flew out of the trees. "ELECTIVIRE!" shouted the Pokémon again as it sent out another bolt of electricity.

"Ha ha, you will never escape that electric proof net!" James shouted gleefully at the electric Pokémon from behind the bushes. "We may have bought it in order to use on Pikachu, but it will work on you just as well!"

"We will never get to that poor Pokémon at this rate," complained Ash to no one in particular. Just then, there was a screech from above. Flying above him was a large brown bird with large red and gold feathers on its head.

"Pideooooootttt" screeched the Pokémon again. The Pokémon swooped down behind Ash and Pikachu, and Pikachu hoped on its back. The Pokémon then swooped down below Ash and used its powerful beak and head to toss Ash into the air just enough to get him onto bird's back. Flying at high speed, it took very little time for Ash, Pikachu, and the mysterious bird to reach the poor Pokémon in the net.

"Alright, we have you know!" exclaimed Jessie and approached that Pokémon in the net. "Meowth, what kind of Pokémon is this anyway. I've never seen on like it."

"It's an Electivire, but I've never seen on in this part of the world before." Replied Meowth.

As Ash approached the Electivire, he pulled out his Pokédex. "No data is available on this Pokémon." Is all the Pokédex said.

Then, a figure in a white lab cap appeared on the top of a nearby cliff. "Put away that stupid Pokédex Ashy boy." Ordered the figure.

"Gary, what are you doing here?" asked a startled Ash. The figure jumped off the cliff and landed gracefully at the bottom.

"I'm here to rescue my Pokémon" replied Gary. Turning to his Pokémon, Gary gave the last command Team Rocket wanted to hear. "Electivire, use iron tail to smash that net!" Its tails glowing white, the Pokémon smashed through the net effortlessly. "Now, Electivire, use thunder to send the packing!" Electivire sent out a powerful thunder attack, frying Team Rocket, causing an explosion underneath them.

"Why does this always happen to us?" Cried James as they flew through the air.

" 'Cause we ain't smart enough to give up." Replied Meowth.

"Team Rocket's blasting off again!" Cried the trio as they disappeared as a twinkle in the sky.

Back in Pallet Town, Ash walked up to his house and entered. "Mom, I'm back." yelled Ash. No one responded. "Maybe she is up at Professor Oak's lab" thought Ash. He walked up the hill to the professor's lab and entered. "Professor Oak, Mom, anyone here?" yelled Ash as he wandered through the lab. He entered the room in the lab that was always used to relax in. As he walked in, streamers went flying in all directions.

"WELCOME HOME" yelled Professor Oak, Mrs. Ketchum, Tracy, and Gary.

"Mr. MIME!" said Mr. Mime, also happy about seeing Ash again. Then, someone else immerged from the shadows that covered the right side of the room. She was about Ash's age, wearing a white shirt with light purple trim and sleaves, gold trim, and purple pants. As she walked out of the shadows, Ash was stunned to see the girl before him.

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Guess who! Oh, wait, why guess when you can click the next chapter button and find out for yourself. 


	2. Arrival of Old Friends

Well, here is the Chapter two. I hope you enjoy it.

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Chapter 2

Arrival of Old Friends

The girl stepped out of the shadows, with a Pokémon following her. She was wearing a white outfit, the shirt had a gold trim on it, and had violet hair. She was followed by her Espeon, who walked slightly to the left and behind the girl.

"Anabel?" said Ash in surprise. She blushed a bit as Ash said her name.

"Yep, it's me. Surprised?" She replied, and walked in front of Ash.

"Oh, another one of Ash's friends, welcome!" proclaimed Mrs. Ketchum, always enthusiastic about her little boy gaining yet another friend. "Too bad all your other friends couldn't be here.

"That's not exactly true…" Tracy went to a door to a closet and said, "All clear now, come on out." The door opened and for the second time, a girl stepped out of the shadows. This one was dress in a yellow outfit with orange hair. She had a backpack over her shoulder and was carrying an Azuril.

"Hi Ash, nice to see you again." Misty walked out of the closet where she had been hiding, and looked around the room. She laid her eyes on Anabel and asked in surprise. "Who are you?"

"I'm Anabel, Salon Maiden and leader of the Battle Tower of the Battle Frontier." She answered. She continued, "I meet Ash when he was being chased by a Beedrill-"

At the moment Anabel mentioned the hive of Beedrill, Misty shuddered and said, "I hate bug Pokémon" under her breath.

"Anyway, I calmed down the Beedrill and then had to calm down a Gyarados."

Anabel gave Ash a look that he took as look asking for him to continue, but Misty saw what it really meant. Anabel liked Ash. Misty decided that she would need to put a stop to it right away.

_Wait,__ why do I care if she likes Ash._Misty thought. _He is just my friend_.

"I then found out Anabel was the leader of the Battle Tower. I challenged her to a battle and…" Ash faltered as he got to the part of the battle.

Misty knew Ash well enough that he wouldn't want to admit what happened at the end of the battle. "You lost, didn't you, Ash?"

"Well, I wouldn't exactly call it a loss, more like a minor setback." Ash tried to defend himself. He came back in his explanation strong, "I re-challenged her soon enough and ended up winning" said Ash defiantly.

"Enough with the introductions, I could have discovered a new species of Pokémon by now." Said Gary, getting tired of the introductions.

"Ya, I want to challenge you and your Electivire to a battle!" exclaimed Ash valiantly. "I will use my Pikachu!" Ash looked around, and didn't see Pikachu anywhere. "Pikachu, where did you go? Oh uh, Professor, did you remember to hide the ketchup before we got here?"

"Dang, I forgot!" Cried the Professor as he raced into the kitchen. "And Mrs. Ketchum was going to borrow some to make meatloaf with." A few moments later and a small flash of lightning, a slightly crispy Professor Oak walked out of the kitchen holding a not so happy Pikachu.

"Pikachu, we are going to challenge Gary and his Electivire to battle, so stop it with the ketchup." Ash scolded. "Ready?"

"Pika!"

"Yes, I'm ready. Let's go" Gary replied.

Outside the lab, Ash and Gary stood apart from each other, both ready for a battle. It was a sunny day, with the sun high over head like an old western duel scene.

"This will be a one on one Pokémon battle," declared Professor Oak, "No time limit. The trainer that's Pokémon is the last standing wins. Begin!"

Pikachu jumped in front of Ash while Gary through his Pokéball. The Pokéball opened up and out came Electivire in a flash of light.

Gary started out on the offensive. "Electivire, start this with a thunderbolt attack!" Electivire sparked with electricity right before he launched the powerful attack.

"Pikachu, you counter with your own thunderbolt!" Ash ordered. The air crackled with electricity as the two attacks meet in midair. Tracy was taking quick sketches of this electrifying battle, especially with such a rare Pokémon involved.

"Pikachu, you use volt tackle!" Ordered Ash.

"Volt tackle?" asked Misty.

Anabel decided to try to gain favor with Misty, so she explained, "Volt tackle is a very powerful electric attack, but it wears out the user if used too much.

"Electivire, jump." Gary gave this command very calmly, unnerving Ash a bit. "Now use Iron tail" Gary was sure of himself, even with Pikachu heading straight at Electivire with a powerful volt tackle. Electivire's tails glowed white, and right before Pikachu hit Electivire, the iron tail knocked Pikachu out of the air. Crashing on the ground, Pikachu was down for the count.

"Pikachu is unable to battle, Electivire and Gary are the winners!" Proclaimed Professor Oak. Gary returned Electivire to his Pokéball, and Ash went out to Pikachu.

"You did great buddy, you almost had him." Ash said these to comfort Pikachu, though Electivire was easily stronger than Pikachu.

Misty and Anabel walked up to Ash, congratulating him on a good try. _What is she to Ash_ Wondered Anabel. She wasn't sure if Misty was going to be a problem or not. She had seen how Ash acted around May and hadn't worried about her. Anabel thought she had a clear path to Ash, but thin this red headed girl had to come along and put a kink in her plans.

"Ash, you should go to Sinnoh, there are lots of Pokémon you haven't seen before there, and there is a Pokémon league there. It is north of Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn, so the climate is much colder. I'm going to head back to Sinnoh tonight." Gary mentioned this to Ash.

"Yes, Sinnoh, here I come! I guess I'll leave tomorrow morning, and catch the boat to Sinnoh." At this news, Mrs. Ketchum looked a bit sad, but decided that this was just like her Ash, always off to another adventure.

"This time, I'll come too. I can make my sisters take care of the gym, as it was them who always thought I wasn't good enough to be a gym leader anyway. They won't be happy to hear this, but they'll live. Let's see just how much of a runt they think I am after they lose battle after battle to challengers.

"Maybe I should see if I can go also…" Anabel thought out loud. But just as she said this, a red convertible with a design that looked like three blue Pokéballs partially covered by a fourth and larger Pokéball pulled up to the lab. A jolly looking man in a blue tee-shirt and sunglasses called out to the group.

"Anabel, I have two new challengers for the Battle Frontier! They're both a powerful force to be reckoned with. One just swept away the competition at the Johto league besides one, her traveling companion. Her companion came in second place. They both may be a newer trainers, but one has a very powerful Espeon. It may even as formidable as yours. You'll just have to see."

"If I may ask, does the girl with the Espeon happen to be named Sakura?" inquired Misty. She, Ash, and Brock had met up with her in Johto with her other sisters back in Ecruteak City. She had wanted to join up with them, but after she saw Ash blow away her sisters in a Pokémon battle, she decided she would do better on her own. She had then battled Misty at the Cerulean Gym, where she had been victorious.

"As a matter of fact, it does. And the other girl's name is Casey. Anyway, I need you to return to the Battle Tower to be ready for their arrival. Anyway, glad to see you again Ash, too bad you declined the position as a Frontier Brain, you would have given those two a run for their money."

"I'm sorry you have to go, maybe we will call you at some point on our journey in Sinnoh. And tell Sakura and Casey that Ash says hi. Also tell them that I can still beat them in a battle any day." Ash stated the last part so confidently, that Misty decided it was time to shrink his ego some.

"Well, they won the Johto league, while let's see, you only came in the Top Eight. Sounds to me like they are better then you are. Both trainers started after you did and have already surpassed you in League standings…"

At this, Ash's temper rose. "Well, at least I've competed in leagues. You're just a scrawny little redhead that thinks she is so important!"

"I'm not scrawny!" Misty replied angrily.

"Are too!"

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

With this, Pikachu had enough. Since Brock wasn't here to stop them, it was up to him. Just like old times. Pikachu walked right between the arguing teens, and looked up at Ash. Pikachu had a devilish look in his eyes, and when Misty saw this, she stopped arguing.

"Ha, a guess you admit it since you stopped defending yourself! I guess you just realized the true now." Ash was so happy about his apparent winning of the argument, he completely missed Pikachu getting more irritated and sparks start to fly from his cheeks.

"Pika CHUUUUU!" Electricity flew through the air as Pikachu hit Ash with a thundershock.

"That will teach you. I'm not scrawny, and I'm smart enough to see when a little electric rodent who will remain unnamed is getting mad." Misty told Ash triumphantly.

After Ash was recovered enough to say goodbye, Scott and Anabel drove off toward the Battle Tower. Gary head off back to Sinnoh, and Ash, Misty, and Mrs. Ketchup head back to Ash's house.

The next day, Ash and Misty headed back up to Professor Oak's laboratory to decide what Pokémon Ash would bring with him. Misty had called her sisters the previous night, and although they were unhappy about her going, they agreed in the end. They went to the pasture behind the lab to meet up with all of his Pokémon.

"Come on out everyone!" cried Ash enthusiastically, releasing five Pokéballs into the air at once. All his Pokémon appeared in front of him, Sceptile putting his twig in his mouth.

Ash then heard the sound of crunching bushes behind him, and a Pokémon with a large green leaf on its head bounded toward Ash. "No, Bayleaf, please don't use tack-" Ash was cut off as the wind was knocked out of him. "Glad to see you too Bayleaf. It's been a bit, hasn't it? Where is everyone else?" As he said that, a golden bird flew from above the top of some nearby trees, and set down on the closest tree branch. A loud crunching sound was heard nearby as Ash's Snorlax came walking through the trees. All his other Pokémon filtered in one or two at a time. Ash took time to say high to all of them and talk to them a bit. He then turned and addressed all of them.

"Well, I'm going to be leaving for the Sinnoh region today. I've decided to just take Pikachu with me this time kind of like when I went to the Hoenn region. But this time I will try to use all of you in a battle or two while I'm out there, as I'm sure you would love to see the new region." At this, some of his Pokémon gave a small cheer for the fact that they would be used some this time. Two Pokémon in particular looked really sad though. Aipom and Bayleaf were very sad. With that, Ash said goodbye to his Pokémon, and he and Misty headed to the port where they would catch the boat to the Sinnoh region.

As they walked through the forest near Pallet Town toward the port, there was a sound of wings beating really fast nearby. Misty was the first to look, and gave out a piercing scream. She jumped into Ash's arms, and Ash was stunned. Misty then realized what she had done and jumped away, grumbling under her breath. She then proceeded to hide behind Ash. Ash looked toward what Misty had seen, and saw a small swarm of Pokémon flying overhead. But these were like no Pokémon Ash had ever seen. They looked like three pentagonal cylinders, with one cylinder below and two on top. It had wings on the two top cylinders and a smiling face on the front of each cylinder. Ash pulled out his new Pokédex, which Professor Oak had given him the evening before.

"Combee, the bee Pokémon. This Pokémon lives in hives headed by a single Vespiqueen. They travel in small swarms in search of honey. They avoid Teddiursa and Ursaring at all costs though, as they would follow them back to eat the honey in the hive." Stated the Pokédex.

"Wow, I've never seen one of those before. Too bad they are too far away to catch…" Ash looked long fully at the swarm before it disappeared into the trees.

"Not too bad, good thing they were too far away. I hate bug Pokémon." Misty then proceeded to pull Ash toward the port just to take away the temptation to follow the Combee back to their hive to try to catch one.

Ash and Misty got to the boat just in time before it left, at that journey began. It would take the boat about six hours to reach Sinnoh, as it was traveling at high speeds. The speed of the boat caused enough wind though to send Ash's hat flying off his head. Ash started to chase after it, but a tail shot up from the stairs. The end tail was shaped like a hand and it attempted to grab the hat from the air. Though it was a good try, the hat was just out of reach for the tail. Aipom stuck her head up from the stairs and gave Ash an apologizing look.

"It's already Aipom, thanks for trying. I guess I'll just have to get a new hat soon. I see you couldn't resist coming with me on my journey." Said Ash with a bit of sympathy. "You didn't want to be left behind, is that it?" asked Ash.

"Ai ai pom"

"Well, good to have you along. It will be just you, Pikachu, Misty, her Pokémon, and me this time. I can't wait to start collecting new badges and catching new Pokémon!" With that, the Pikachu let out a yawn and went to sleep on Ash's shoulder.

Misty was moved my how Ash treated his Pokémon with such love, a never ending compassion for them and that he would do anything for them. If only he would care that much about me… Wait, he is just my friend, that's all. Why do I keep thinking these things. Misty thought glad that Ash had no psychic Pokémon that could read her mind. The boat sped off for the Sinnoh region, and the unknown. Ash and Misty had no idea what amazing adventures were in store for them there.

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Well, Chapter 3 is comming up next. Actually, it is up now, so go ahead, click the next chapter button. You know you want to! 


	3. The Search

OK, I know this is alot like the second and third Diamond and Pearl episode, though it has pokeshipping in it and helps set up for the rest of the story. It also helped me learn how to do a longer chapter.

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Chapter 3

The Search

Six hours after leaving port, the boat finally pulled up into the port in Sinnoh. The day was a calm clear day with a few puffy white clouds in the sky. The ocean was smooth except where boats were pulling in and out of port.

"It's so beautiful here!" Misty loved the ocean, and was thinking that there is no better day to go swimming in the ocean. "Let's go swimming in the ocean, it's a beautiful day, and the water should be nice and warm!"

Ash on the other hand hadn't even noticed the weather or the beach. "We aren't tourists Misty, I'm here to compete in the Pokémon league. That means that I need to start my Journey right away. I only have two Pokémon with me now, so I need to go catch more. Besides, we should go call Professor Oak so he knows we made it."

"Humph. I guess we can go call the professor, but you haven't heard the end of this. We will go to the beach at some point, even if it takes you old best friend to convince you to go." Misty smiled with a devilish grin on her face after say the last sentence.

"Old best friend? You don't mean- You still have- the- oh no…" Ash tried to get a coherent sentence out, but couldn't contain his fear. He then bolted off to the Pokémon center to call Professor Oak.

"Oh, Aipom is with you? Good. I was starting to get worried when she disappeared. But at least I know she's safe. Would you like to send her back now?" Professor Oak had a look of relief on his face after he heard that Aipom was with Ash. Then, he pinched his nose and yelled out to someone off the screen. "Tracy, come get Muk before he decides to hug me again! That Pokémon is incorrigible."

"Incorri-what?"

"Oh Ash, you're so dense. Your vocabulary is smaller than a Mankey's. Maybe if you would take your mind of Pokémon once in a while and read a book, you might learn something." Misty had apparently snuck on him while he was talking to Professor Oak.

"Good to see you Misty. By the way, your sisters called and wanted me to send you over two Pokémon. Here they come." The professor placed two Pokéballs into the teleporter and they came out one after the other at the Pokémon center that Ash and Misty were in. "There you go, your sisters said they were too much of a hassle to keep happy with you gone."

"Well, let's see who we have. Come on out guys." Misty then threw the Pokéballs up into the air. With a snap and a flash of white, two Pokémon materialized on the floor. One was a small pink and white Pokémon that looked like it had coral growing out of its body. The other Pokémon was a pink Pokémon that was shaped like a heart. "Corsola, Caserin! I'm so glad they didn't send me Psyduck!"

"Well, good luck in the Sinnoh league. Tracy, your Mom, and all of Pallet are cheering for you. Oh, I also got a message from Anabel the Frontier Brian that she may end up seeing you at some point on your journey. But anyway, good luck. I took the liberty to look up the location of the nearest gym to your location, and it is in Oreburg town. All you have to do is go north through Sandgem town to Jubilife City. You can then go east on route 203 to Oreburg town. You can register for the Sinnoh Pokémon league in either Jubilife City or Sandgem town. You can also meet Professor Rowan in Sandgem town. He might be able to give you some insights into the Sinnoh region Pokémon. I know Gary visited him when he first arrived in the Sinnoh region." Professor Oak bid goodbye to Ash and Misty, and then went off to feed the Pokémon.

"Well, ready to head out? I can't wait to get my first badge!" Ash started to walk out the door, but Misty ran and stood in front of him.

"I told you it wasn't the last you were going to hear about it. It's time to go to the beach, and you agree!" Misty looked at him with and evil glint in her eyes, but Ash didn't notice it.

"Why would I agree with you? We are going to Oreburg town." Ash tried to push pass Misty, but she stood her ground. She then reached in her backpack and pulled out Ash's worst enemy, her mallet.

"Are you ready to go to the beach?" She asked?

"Um, err, I, it's time to go to Oreburg town." Ash said this very nervously, paralyzed in fear. Misty started tapping her mallet on the palm of her hand.

"Is that your final answer?"

"Actually, come to think of it, the beach sounds great." Ash had given in. He wasn't going to risk his life by disagreeing with her mallet.

"That's much better. Let's go." She led him out of the Pokémon center after putting her mallet back into her backpack. Outside, they walked toward the beach, when out of nowhere, a hand designed for grabbing things far away shot down and clamped down on Pikachu. The hand retracted with Pikachu squirming in its grip.

"PikaCHUUUU!" Pikachu tried a thunderbolt, but it had no effect on the hand.

"Ha ha ha ha ha! That hand is made out of rubber. Your electricity won't work!" A male voice came from above, with two other voices laughing along with him.

"Team Rocket!" Misty and Ash shouted together.

**"**Prepare for trouble from beyond the skies!" Jessie shouted down at them from the balloon's basket.

**"**From beyond the stars, a nasty surprise!" James continued, holding a rose in one of his hands.

**"** An evil as old as the galaxy..."

**"** ...sent here to fulfill our destiny!"

" Plus, there's me!" Meowth added in.

**"** To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

**"** To extend our reach to the stars above!"

**"** Jessie!"

**"** And James!"

**"** And Meowth are the names!"

**"** Anywhere there's peace in the universe..."

**"** Team Rocket..."

" ...Will be there..."

**"** To make everything worse!" Jessie, James and Meowth shouted in unison.

**"** Wobbuffet!"

**"** Mime Mime!"

"Well, now that that's over with, we will be leaving you and your precious twerpet alone for some quiet time!" Jessie laughed after she said this. "I hope you guys do well together. If you're lucky, we may just give you a visit on your wedding day!"

" Enough with the chit-chat, let's get out of here!" With that, Meowth activated the balloons burner and started to rise up and headed north.

"After that balloon, I have to get Pikachu back!" Ash started chasing Team Rocket with Misty trailing close behind.

"Ha, your little twerpish legs can't move you as fast as the balloon can fly. See ya losers!" And with that final taunt from Meowth, the balloon flew out of sight.

"Come on out Swellow, follow that Balloon!" Ash reached to his belt to grab Swellow's Pokéball, and then remembered that he left him at Professor Oak's. "Ah man, I should never go anywhere without a flying type Pokémon for exactly this reason. Let's go Misty, they won't get away."

Ash and Misty then ran after the balloon as fast as they could, through a light forest. _At least we are going the right way, toward __Sandgem__ town.__ I wish they would stop trying to steal my Pikachu. _Then, on the road ahead, there was Team Rocket's balloon. But it hadn't landed on its own accord. The basket was lying on its side and there was a large hole in the balloon. The hand that Team Rocket had used to grab Pikachu was lying on the ground, broken in half.

"Wow, I wonder what happened to them. I hope Pikachu is OK." Misty said. Then she went up to the destroyed balloon to look at the whole a bit better. "It looks like this was made by a fire type attack. There are even some scorch marks on the trees and ground nearby. And this damage over hear was caused by a bubblebeam."

"How do you know it was caused by a bubblebeam?" Ash was perplexed by Misty's deduction.

"I'm a water Pokémon trainer. I know what a bubblebeam does to terrain it hits. It looks like Team Rocket flew right into a Pokémon battle." Misty then saw three sets of tracks going off in one direction. Two human and one Pokémon. "Team Rocket went that way" Misty pointed off into the woods, but then saw four more sets of tracks. Three more Pokémon and one more human. "Ash, come here! Don't these tracks look like Pikachu's?"

"Yes, those are his tracks, but I wonder who those belong to." Ash pointed to one set of tracks that looked like little flippers on the ground and then human tracks going the same direction. Then going another direction was one last set of tracks that he didn't recognize. "I wish Brock was here, he could probably be able to figure this out. Well, let's follow Pikachu's tracks.

Soon after, the tracks went into a large patch of bushes and Ash and Misty lost the trail. "Ash, we aren't going to find Pikachu like this. Maybe we should go to the Sandgem town Pokémon center. Nurse Joy may know something and we can have her send out a message to the other Pokémon centers around here incase Pikachu shows up there." Misty tried to calm Ash down so he would think rationally about her suggestion.

"I won't give up. I won't give up until I find Pikachu!" Ash was determined to find Pikachu at all costs and didn't care what Misty thought right then. Misty then walked next to Ash and did something she had never done before. She reached around behind Ash and gave him a quick hug. Ash didn't notice to much though, with only his mission to find Pikachu on his mind.

"It will be alright Ash, we'll find him. Let's go to the Pokémon center." Misty then grabbed his arm and gently guided him to Sandgem town.

About forty-five minutes later, the sounds of a motorcycle filtered through the air to Ash and Misty. A motorcycle with the local Officer Jenny pulled up and Officer Jenny looked over toward Ash and Misty. "Are you two all right?" she asked?

"Well, a group of people called Team Rocket stole my Pikachu back at the port on Route 220. We chased after them and found their balloon crashed, and we tried to follow my Pikachu's tracks. The tracks disappeared into the bushes and we lost the trail. We are heading to the Sandgem Pokémon center to see if Nurse Joy knows anything about Pikachu." Ash's head drooped in despair as he said this.

"If you two want to squeeze in to the sidecar, I can bring you to Professor Rowan 's lab. If anyone can help you find your Pikachu, he can."

"Thank you Officer Jenny, thank you." Ash and Misty then squeezed into the sidecar. It was a tight fit, and Misty had to more or less sit on Ash's lap, but Ash didn't care. If he could get to Pikachu, he would do almost anything.

Just a few minutes later at 60 miles an hour, Ash and Misty pulled up to Professor Rowan 's lab. Ash and Misty got out of the sidecar and thanked Officer Jenny for her generosity. They both then entered the lab, to see a small disaster. The lab was a mess, with a broken window and the same scorch and bubblebeam marks on the wall as Misty noticed back at the balloon. A lab assistant came up to Ash and Misty. He was dressed in a yellow-green shirt and blue pants. He had large orange boots on and was wearing a lab coat over his shirt. He also had dark green hair.

"I'm sorry about the mess, we had a small accident with two of the starter Pokémon and a Staraptor. I'm Professor Rowan 's assistant. Can I help you with something?"

"I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town and this is my friend Misty. Officer Jenny told us that Professor Rowan might be able to help me. You see, my Pikachu is lost in the woods and I can't find it."

"Alright, I'll go get the professor. He'll be right out." The assistant then went off into another room to find the professor. Ash looked around at the disaster in the lab. His eyes then fell on a Pokémon that looked like a green turtle with a twig on its head. It was standing on a table and eating rather lazily. It seemed completely unconcerned about everything.

"That Pokémon's expression kind of reminds me of Psyduck's. I wonder what it is." Ash then pulled out his new Pokédex.

"Turtwig, the turtle Pokémon. This grass type Pokémon is native to the Sinnoh region, and is often used as a starting Pokémon for new trainers. When it evolves to its final stage, it also gains ground type characteristics." The new Pokédex had so much information on the Pokémon in the Sinnoh region, it opened up a menu that had more information on the Pokémon, including locations it can be found and other facts about the Pokémon.

"So, you're Ash are you? I'm Professor Rowan ." An older man with white hair and a white mustache walked up to Ash and Misty. He had a black overcoat overtop his blue shirt and tie. "I am also glad to tell you that I have good news for you. A beginning trainer just called in from Jubilife City. She found a lost Pikachu on Route 202 that was being attacked by some strange people. She protected it and then brought it to the Pokémon center. If you head up to Jubilife City, I will call her and have her meet you on Route 202." Professor Rowan then waved goodbye to Ash and Misty as they walked out the door. He then walked over to the video phone to call the young trainer.

Ash and Misty walked toward Jubilife City on Route 202, looking for any sign of a female trainer with Ash's Pikachu. "I can't believe we forgot to get a description of this new trainer. We don't even know what her name is." As Ash complained, a pink truck with a Magicarp in water on the side pulled up beside Ash and Misty. It stopped, and out came the last person Ash and Misty were expecting to see out here in Sinnoh. Brock.

"Hi Ash. Misty, didn't expect you. I didn't know you had joined back up with Ash. Maybe I should go back to Pewter City then instead of traveling with you guys. Give you two sometime alone…" Misty then got angry with Brock, but the other door of the truck opened to reveal the girl inside. She had short jean shorts on with a bright orange shirt on. She also had purple hair with a hair ribbon tied up in it that's color matched her shirt's color. Brock then turned to her. "And thank you for the ride. I would have never gotten here without you. Your generosity is only outshined by your radiance. You are more beautiful than the night sky."

Misty then came up behind Brock. "Haven't done this for awhile. It will feel good to do again." She grabbed Brock's ear and jerked hard to get his attention. The driver of the truck pulled out her phone after it started to ring.

"Hi honey. pause Yes, all be back soon, just gave this nice gentleman a ride to meet up with his friends. pause OK, on my way back, love you. She then hung up the phone and directed her attention back to Brock. At this point, Brock was trying to stay calm, but looked a bit depressed. "Well, time for me to go back. Have a good time in Sinnoh, and maybe I'll see you again at some point." With that, she shut the door and drove off into the distance.

"Well, time to hit the road, let's go" Ash, Misty and Brock started to walk off, with Brock muttering something about love being unfair and how next time he would get his girl. Brock then came to a halt after realizing something was missing.

"Ash, where is Pikachu? And where is your hat?" Brock asked. He looked behind him to make sure Ash hadn't had the little electric rodent sneak up behind him and shock him, but there was nothing buy empty road running through field as far as he could see. Ash then proceeded to explain to Brock what had happened with Pikachu and his hat.

The trio continued walking into the small forest between Sandgem Town and Jubilife City. The trees were thick around the path and Aipom jumped off of Ash's shoulder and ran ahead a bit. When Ash, Misty, and Brock caught up with Aipom, they saw her in a stare off with a small bird Pokémon. The bird Pokémon had a bump on its head where Aipom had apparently hit it. The bird was colored grey except for a bit of its tail, a small spot on its chest, and its face. These parts were a white color. The bird didn't look very happy at all. As Ash always does, he pulled out his Pokédex to see what it had on the bird.

"Starly, the little bird Pokémon. This Pokémon lives in trees in the Sinnoh region, and eats small nuts that grow on the trees. It is normally fairly kind in temperament, but when angry, it has a fairly nasty temper."

"Just like you Misty, only you always have a nasty temper." Ash joked around.

"I'll show you temper. I'll make that bump on that Starly's head look small compared to what I do to you." Misty began to reach into her backpack, but she was interrupted by Brock. Brock got to go back to his history duty. The duty of keeping the two of them from fighting.

"Calm down you two. Ash, how about you focus on that Starly and your Aipom. And Misty, just cool it." Brock said.

"Alright, I'll catch that Pokémon. Aipom, use swift attack!"

The little monkey jumped up into the air and her tailed glowed white. Aipom then swung her tail around and let loose a barrage of golden stars fly toward her opponent. After taking the hit, the Starly used a gust attack, blowing Aipom, Ash, Misty, and Brock back some.

"Aipom, use focus punch then." Ash ordered.

As Aipom's tail once again glowed white, the wild Starly flew in at high speeds in a very fast quick attack. Aipom took a grazing blow but then hit the attacking Pokémon with full force. Ash then pulled out a Pokéball and threw it at the Starly. The ball opened up and Starly turned into pure red energy. The Pokéball then shut and fell to the ground, shaking a bit. With a small ding and the disappearance of the small red light from the center, the ball stopped moving. Ash then picked up the Pokéball and did his little victory pose.

"I got a Starly!" Ash shouted, but then became depressed again as he noticed there was no corresponding "PI pika chu!" from Pikachu. "Come on out Starly, keep a look out for a young trainer with a Pikachu with her. With that, Ash, Misty, Brock, Aipom, and Starly headed off again toward Jubilife City.

* * *

OK, done with chapter 3. Well, lets go to the next chapter! 


	4. A New Rival

Here is chapter 4, ready for you to read.

* * *

Chapter 4

A New Rival

A flash of lightning in the distance caught Ash's attention as the gang walked until they meet up with the girl and Pikachu. Starly also saw the flash of lightning, and speed up to see where it came from. As Ash and the gang reached the spot where the flash of lightning originated from, all they saw was a boy with a dark purple hair, blue a blue shirt and black pants. He had a backpack on his back, and a small electrical Pokémon next to him. To ash's dismay, it wasn't Pikachu though, but an Elekid. Then, before the boy saw Ash and the gang, he reached down to his belt and grabbed a pokéball. He then through the pokéball at Ash's Starly. Starly just shrugged off the pokéball since he was already caught by Ash, and flew down onto Ash's shoulder.

"What did you try to catch my Starly for?" Ash yelled at the boy.

"You shouldn't let you Pokémon wander around freely, someone may battle them and catch them." Replied the boy calmly. He then reached down to his belt and grabbed three more Pokéballs. He threw them up into the air and released three Starly. The three looked completely identical, and landed in front of the boy and his Elekid. The boy then pulled out his Pokédex and scanned each of the Starly.

"Hmph, only one of these Starly know aerial ace. Those other two won't do. Get out of here you two." With that, he released the Pokémon back into the wild.

"That's disgusting! The way you treat your Pokémon, it's like you don't care about them at all! You just want the strongest and nothing less! You should be ashamed of yourself!" Misty was infuriated with the boys attitude toward Pokémon. She started to pull a pokéball from her backpack to teach this creep a lesson, but then the whole gang saw another flash of lightning.

"Maybe that's Pikachu! Pikachu, I'm coming!" shouted Ash as he ran off toward that source of the lightning flash, leaving everyone else startled and it took them a bit to catch up.

"Ha ha you little girl, you can't keep Pikachu from us that easily!" said Jessie from inside a large orange mech with six multi-jointed arms. One of these six arms contained a squirming Pikachu in its grasp.

"Dats right, Pikachu is ours for the taking now!" bragged Meowth from inside the Mech.

"Piplup, save Pikachu!" Shouted the girl, releasing a small blue bird Pokémon. It had two orange flippers, with a body that looked like the Pokémon was wearing a blue tuxedo. "Piplup, use bubblebeam on that contraption!" The bubblebeam bounced harmlessly off the side of the mech. "Piplup, use peck attack then." Piplup raced at the mech, and hit it with hits beck, but bounce back, taking much more damage than it had done.

"I'm sure glad we upgraded to the strongest outside body available! That little girl won't be able to do a thing to stop us." Gleefully cheered James from inside the mech.

"Now to grab that little Piplup!" Meowth said as he operated the controls to have an arm grab Piplup.

"Aipom, use swift attack to stop that arm!" shouted Ash from the side of the clearing that the battle was taking place.

"Aipom" Aipom jumped into the air, dragging its brilliantly glowing tail in an arc in the air, sending glowing stars at the Mech.

"The twerps!" shouted all of team rocket at once.

The mech's arm was knocked off course by Aipom's swift attack, but Meowth sent another arm to knock Ash to the ground.

"Team Rocket, I'm not going to let you get Pikachu!" Shouted Ash.

The cockpit of the mech slid open and a platform rose out of the mech with Team Rocket on it.

"Hey, twirps, we have a new motto!" Shouted James, sounding proud of himself.

"Ya, so you better listen up!" Meowth added.

"Listen, is that a voice I hear?" Jessie started.

"It' speaking to me loud and clear" James continued.

"Floating on the wind" Jessie said, raising her hands to the sky.

"Past the stars" James added, also reaching toward the sky.

"In your ear!" Meowth jumped up and added.

"Just be quiet!" Ash yelled back at them, who had gotten tired of listing to the motto. He started to climb a tree that was near the arm of the mech that held Pikachu.

"How dare you interrupt the great Team Rocket motto! Look, the twerp thinks he's a Mankey. Like climbing a tree will do you any good." James stated, trying to frustrate Ash.

Ash, with a determined look on his face, then jumped from a branch in the tree onto one of the mech's arm. "I'm coming Pikachu!" shouted Ash toward Pikachu.

"Get him off, get him off!" shouted Jessie. James, who was now controlling the Mech from remote, started to have all the free arms try to knock Ash off.

"Ash, be careful…" Misty said under her breath, with a very worried look on her face. Misty and Brock had, at some point, entered the clearing and where now standing next to the girl with the Piplup.

The arms continued to swing randomly at Ash, until one missed him and went into the mech. Sparks flew from where the mech's outer shell had been breached. Ash reached the hand where Pikachu was being held captive, and began to try to free Pikachu.

"Um, maybe we made a mistake when upgrading to the super strong arms." Jessie stated, " Who's stupid idea was it to do so anyway?"

"Never mind who's idea it was, we have a problem here." The whole entire mech had started to flash with little sparks of electricity.

"Everyone," Brock shouted, "get down!" Brock, Misty, the new girl, Aipom, Starly, and Piplup all got down on the ground and covered their heads with their hands, though the Pokémon had a little bit of trouble reaching. Then, the mech exploded in a dazzling flash of light, sending Team Rocket into the sky.

"Why can't we ever succeed at stealing Pikachu?" pouted James.

"Because, well, I don't know. But there is one thing I do know…" Jessie replied.

"We're blasting off again!" shouted Team Rocket as they disappeared into the sky with a small flash of light and a ding.

Back down on the ground, all that remained of the mech was a pile of scrap metal. The rest of the gang, not including Ash, got up from where they had been taking cover. There was no sign of Ash or Pikachu, just a smoldering pile of scrap metal.

"Ash!" Brock called. Misty, who had been very worried throughout the battle, now sunk down to her knees when no response came. Then, out of the ruble, popped two heads. One was Ash's, while the other was Pikachu's.

"Pikachu, buddy, I'm so glad to see you again!" Ash gave Pikachu a hug before climbing out into the open. Pikachu hoped onto Ash's shoulder, glad to be with his trainer again. Ash then turned to the new girl. She was dressed in a white hat with a pink pokéball design on the front, with blue hair pulled back behind her head, then allowed to drape down to about shoulder bone height. She had a black sleeveless shirt on with a pink scarf around her neck. Her outfit also included a short pink a black miniskirt. She also wore pink boots to match the rest of her outfit. "Hi, I'm Ash, from Pallet Town. Thank you for helping my Pikachu out."

"No problem. My name is Dawn, and this is my partner, Piplup. We just started out on our Pokémon journey together. I'm just glad I could help." Dawn replied.

Brock then proceeds to force his way in-between Ash and Dawn. "Hi, my names Bro- Ahh!" Is all he managed to say. Misty had come up behind him, grabbing both his ears at once.

"Brock, she is WAY too young for you, so back off!" Misty scolded as she pulled him out of the way.

"But I wasn't, I was just introducing myself. Wow Misty, you jumped the gun that time. Please, next time let me finish my introduction in peace." Brock growled, rubbing his ears.

Ash pulled out his Pokédex, and scanned Dawn's Piplup. "Piplup, the tiny penguin Pokémon. The water started Pokémon of the Sinnoh region. Piplup enjoys both water and land, and battles well on both."

Misty's eyes turned into hearts as she got onto her knees and looked at the penguin Pokémon. "It's SO cute!" exclaimed Misty, "I wish I had one. I wonder what other new water Pokémon are here in the Sinnoh region!" She then turned to Dawn. "Oh, by the way, I'm Misty, a water Pokémon trainer and former gym leader of the Cerulean City Gym in the Kanto region."

"Nice to meet you Misty." Replied Dawn, "We should probably go tell Professor Rowan that we meet up fine and tell him what happened."

"Ring Ring Ring, Phone call, Phone call" cried on the video phone in Professor Rowan's lab. The professor picked up the video phone to see Ash, Brock, Misty, and Dawn on the other end.

"Hello Professor, it's me, Dawn. As you can see, I meet up with Ash and his friends. Pikachu is now back with his proper trainer."

"Great, thank you for doing that Dawn. And Ash, your mother called while you where meeting up with Dawn. I think you should come back to the lab as soon as you get a chance." Professor Rowan replied.

"I wonder what she wants. OK, we'll head back to the lab now. Have a good day Professor." And with that, they hung up the phone, and walked back toward Professor Rowan's lab.

"That's so cool, I beet you'll be a great Pokémon breeder!" replied Dawn. Brock had been explaining to her his dream of being the best Pokémon breeder. Then a motorbike with an Officer Jenny driving pulled up next to Ash and the gang.

"Hi again. I see you got your Pikachu back. I'm glad. And I see you meet up with a few more travel partners." Officer Jenny said. This was the same Officer Jenny that had helped Ash and Misty get to Professor Rowan's lab earlier.

"Hi, my name is Brock, but you can call me whatever you want." Started Brock in his normal girl meeting routine. "So, since you already know my friend Ash, maybe we could go out and talk. How about dinner? Or a afternoon picnic?" He then turned to Ash and Misty. "Hey, if you two go with us, we could make it a double date. How about it?"

This time, Brock had gone too far. Misty went reached over and grab both his ears, but only one of her hand actually made it to Brock's ear. The other was stopped by another hand that had already grabbed his other ear. Misty turned her head to see Ash, a very bright red color, not from anger, but it looked more like embarrassment. "Come on lover-boy, you're not saying another thing." Misty said as she and Ash pulled Brock out of the way of the motorbike by the ears. Officer Jenny then slammed her foot to the pedal, probably to get out of there as soon as possible, leaving Ash and the gang in the cloud of dust.

As Ash and the gang continued to Professor Rowan's lab, Misty couldn't help wonder about Ash's reaction to Brock's comment. _He was blushing. That's not the Ash I know. That Ash wouldn't know a girl from a rock. But maybe he is maturing. I will just have to wait and see._

A few hours later, the gang arrived at Professor Rowan's lab. They entered to find the professor waiting for them, with a package in his hands. "Ash, your mother sent this to me to give to you." Professor Rowan stated.

Ash took the package and opened it. Inside was a new outfit and a new backpack. Ash went into a nearby bathroom to change into the new outfit. He walks out soon afterward, dressed in a similar hat, but this one had a blue pokéball design on the front instead of the old green one, and a black shirt that had a yellow strip across the front. He was also wearing a new pair of blue pants. His new backpack was green with a pokéball design on it that was comprised of two white semi-circles with a red dot in the middle. The whole design was outlined in black. "Wow, I should call my mom to thank her for this. It was so great for her to send this to me." Ash then walked over to the video phone and called up his mom. "Hi Mom!" Ash said when his mom picked up on the other end.

"Hi Ash, honey. It's great to hear from you." Mrs. Ketchum replied. "I see your wearing the new outfit I made you. Do you like it?"

"I love it Mom. And I didn't know you made it. It looks great. Thank you Mom." Ash thanked.

"So, have you called Professor Oak yet telling him you recovered Pikachu alright?" asked Mrs. Ketchum. Ash's face had a guilty look on it that was all the answer a mother needed. "Well, you should call him. Oh, and while on the road, don't forget to change your-"

"Ya, ya, I know Mom. Great to talk to you. I'll call Professor Oak now, bye" Ash finished up quickly, turning off the video phone. Misty was snickering in the background, Dawn looking at Misty with a confused look on her face.

"If she ever gets to finish that statement around you, you'll understand." Misty said, trying really hard not to laugh at Ash's embarrassment.

Ash then called up Professor Oak and informed him that Pikachu was safe, and it was all thanks to Dawn. Professor Rowan then comes up behind them and starts to talk to Professor Oak about lots of technical stuff that made Ash's brain hurt, so he, Brock, Misty, and Dawn walk off and let the professors talk.

Brock then pulls out a handbook that he got somewhere and then says that the nearest Pokémon gym is in Oreburg City.

"Dawn, my dream is to be the greatest Pokémon master, so I'm going to compete in the Sinnoh league." Ash informed Dawn.

"That's a good dream. My dream is to become a top coordinator." Dawn replied.

"Well then, we have similar goals, you should travel around with me, Misty, and Brock." Ash offered.

"Ya, that's a great idea." Brock agreed.

"Wow, another girl! This will be a pleasant change from these two stupid guys all the time." Misty agreed enthusiastically.

Dawn's face light up with glee at the idea of having people to travel around with. _Ash seems like a nice guy. Misty also seems like a nice girl. Brock will take some getting used to, but with Misty and Ash on his case, I think it will be fine_. "OK, I'll travel with you guys. It will be nice to travel with other people. Ash, I have one question. Why does your Pikachu never go in its pokéball?"

"Oh, Pikachu hates his pokéball, right buddy?" informed Ash as he stroked Pikachu's head. "Well, we should head off. It's a long way to go to Oreburg City."

Ash, Misty, Brock, and Dawn walked out of the lab followed by Professor Rowan who had finished talking to Professor Oak. Outside though, they come across a surprise visitor.

"You again!" shouted Misty at the boy with purple hair and his Elekid.

"Yes, me again, though my name is Paul." Paul said.

"My name is Ash, and I'm going to be the number one Pokémon master some day." Ash proclaimed.

Paul turned to Ash. "I challenge you to a Pokémon battle, since you ran off so quickly last time. Three on three."

"You're on." Ash and Paul got into position, all ready to battle.

"Go, Starly!" said Paul calmly as he threw a pokéball into the air.

"Then I choose Starly also" Ash mimicked as he threw his own pokéball into the air. The two pokéballs opened and the two Starly looked at each other.

"Begin the battle" announced Brock from the sidelines, who had appointed himself judge.

"Starly, use quick attack" order Ash. Starly flew off toward Paul's Starly, but Paul's Starly flew out of the way. Paul's Starly then hit Ash's Starly in the back. "Now Starly, use aerial ace." Ash ordered.

"Starly, use double team." Ordered Paul calmly. The air was then full of Starlys, mostly copies. Ash's Starly stops its attack, confused. During this hesitation, Paul's Starly swoops in a knocks out Ash's Starly. "Starly, return." Ordered Paul, with a tone of disappointment in his voice.

"Starly, nice try. Return." Ash returned his Starly, then pulled out another pokéball. "Aipom, I choose you!" shouted Ash. With a flash of light, Aipom emerged from its pokéball.

"Aipom!" cried the Pokémon as it emerged from its pokéball. Aipom began bouncing on her tail while waiting for Paul to release his next Pokémon.

Paul reached down to his belt and grabbed another Pokémon. He then silently threw the ball up into the air, and with a flash of light, another monkey appeared. It had an orange body with a tan chest, hands and face. It had a bright flame for a tail, and large ears.

"Aipom, use swift attack!" Ash ordered from the sidelines. Aipom's tail glowed and sent stars flying out of it toward Chimchar.

"Chimchar, counter that with ember" ordered Paul. The two attacks collided in-between then with a deafening blast, exploding on contact. When the smoke cleared, the two Pokémon were on the ground, after being knocked down by the blast. Both Pokémon got to their feet and stared each other down.

"Aipom, show him what you can do. Focus Punch!" Ash cried out. Aipom's tail glowed again, this time, charging for the very powerful attack.

"Chimchar, quick, use flame wheel." Paul ordered his Pokémon. Chimchar's body was engulfed in flames as he rolled toward Aipom. But right as the flaming monkey knocked into Aipom, Aipom's tail whipped around and knocked Chimchar in the back. Both Pokémon fell to the ground, knocked out.

"Good try Aipom, have a good rest." Ash then returned Aipom to his pokéball, and before Ash even said another word, Pikachu was out on the field, ready for battle. Paul returned his Pokémon and sent out his Elekid.

"You can show this kid just how powerful you are." Paul told his Elekid. The two electric types stood their ground, ready to fight for their pride as electric type Pokémon.

"Paul, it's only fair to warn you that Pikachu is extremely powerful, having traveled with me for so long. I wouldn't blame you if you backed out now." Ash said cockily.

"Oh brother, just what this battle needs, an overconfident Ash." Groaned Misty from the sidelines. "This battle could be over before it starts if Ash doesn't start thinking strait."

"Pikachu, show him what your made of, volt tackle!" Ash ordered, a very confident look on his face.

"I wouldn't be so sure of your success if I were you, Ash. Elekid, use protect." Paul ordered, in his usual calm manner. Elekid grinned and produced a glowing green barrier in-between him and Pikachu. Pikachu knocked against the barrier, bouncing back, doing no damage to Elekid, just himself.

"Why did Pikachu take damage? I thought protect only prevented damage to the user." Dawn asked Professor Rowan.

"Volt tackle is a risky attack, and hurts the user slightly every time it is used. It was reckless for Ash to start out with that attack before he knows what the opponent can do." Brock informed her from the sidelines.

"Now Elekid, use thunderbolt!" Paul ordered. Elekid's arms began spinning very quickly as it generated the electrical energy needed for the attack. The powerful electrical attack was unleashed soon later, flying strait toward Pikachu who was still getting up after being knocked down by its own volt tackle.

"Pikachu, dodge!" Ash ordered, starting to think strait now that the battle wasn't going his way. The electric rodent was able to get out from under the attack, but the explosion on the ground where the attack hit knocked Pikachu flying again. "Pikachu, get up!" Ash begged his Pokémon. Pikachu struggled to its feet, and finally regained its footing. "Great Pikachu! Now, use a full power thunder attack!" Ordered Ash. He know that if Pikachu took to many more hits, it would be over, so he would just have to finish it in one attack. Pikachu's cheeks crackled with electricity, and then let loose a powerful thunder attack.

"Elekid, use protect!" order Paul, but it was too late. The thunder attack ripped through the air and struck Elekid. Elekid fell to the ground, knocked out.

"Pikachu is the winner," announced Brock from the sides, "the overall battle is a tie, with one loss, one win, and one draw for each trainer."

Paul returned his Elekid, and then reached for a pokéball on his belt. Ash at first thought Paul was going to continue the battle, but the Pokémon he released from the pokéball was his Starly. The bird Pokémon flew off into the distance.

"What did you do that for?" Ash asked.

"It was too weak to be on my team. I need better Pokémon then that." Paul replied.

Ash became frustrated, and Misty then yelled out, "That Starly won the battle, why do you think it was too weak!" She was even more frustrated than Ash with this trainer, but both were thinking the same thing. This trainer only carried about having powerful Pokémon and winning, and nothing else.

Paul then just turned and left, walking into the sun that was now setting. As he disappeared into the colorful pink and orange clouds in the distance, Ash hoped that someday, he would learn what it really meant to be a Pokémon trainer.


	5. The Solution to Poor Navigators

Chapter 5

The Solution to Poor Navigators

Ash, Misty, Brock, and Dawn headed out of Sandgem town up north to Jubilife City. North of Sandgem town was route 202, that would lead the gang toward Jubilife City, and then finally on to Oreburg City, where Ash's first gym battle was. Brock had decided that Dawn should guide them on route 202, since she had already traveled it before the incident with Pikachu. But soon after the gang reached the location where Ash, Brock, and Misty had met up with Dawn, about three-fourths of the way to Jubilife City, trouble struck. And not the Team Rocket kind of trouble.

"Um, shouldn't we be to Jubilife City by now?" Brock inquired. "There isn't a single person out here. And the path is getting harder and harder to follow."

"Just like old times. We're lost. At least this time it is probably a silly mistake anyone could make instead of Ash reading the map upside down…" Misty said, remember some of the times in Johto when had insisted on being navigator.

"To bad Max wasn't still here with his PokeNav. We very rarely got lost with him around." Ash commented, remembering the little tiny kid with large glasses who hung out with him, Brock, and May.

"Who is Max?" Dawn asked.

"Max was one of my traveling partners in Hoenn and then continued traveling with me while I competed in the Battle Frontier. Me and Brock also traveled around with his sister, May. May was a Pokémon Coordinator." Ash said as he filled Dawn in.

"Wow, I remember seeing her in the Kanto Grand Festival." Dawn exclaimed. "My mom and I flew out there to see it, since I was almost ready to start my journey. May wasn't bad, though she still wasn't as good as Soledad. She also made a good couple with that Coordinator with the green hair. Drew was his name, right?"

Ash looked clueless after Dawn's comment about May and Drew, while Brock started laughing. Misty was giggling, as she remembered May and Drew's "relationship". After a few moments, Brock stopped laughing and tried to straighten the facts, as May would have wanted him to do.

"Well, they weren't really a couple," Brock started to explain, "Though they did act like it sometimes. The best example of their feelings for each other is standing right next to you though, just look at Ash and Misty."

WACK! Brock was then on the ground, Starly flying in circles around his head as he tried to get back to his feet.

"May didn't get violent like Misty does when someone's conversation went along the lines of their relationship." Brock added as he finally got back up on his feet.

"Anyway, how about we find out where we are." Misty said, trying to get back on the right track. "So, Dawn, where is the map."

"I don't have the map, I thought Ash did." Dawn replied.

"No one would ever give Ash a map, if we did, we would be just a little lost. Ash would have guided us all the way to the middle of nowhere. Brock, get out the map then. Let's find where we are." Misty said.

"Um, I hate to say it, but I don't have a good map. I just have the very broad region map of Sinnoh that has the gyms on it." Brock groaned.

"Hey, guys…" Ash started to say, but no one was listening to him. "HEY!" Ash then yelled. '

"What, what's wrong?" Brock asked.

"Finally you listen to me. How about we just keep walking in this direction till we run into a town or another traveler. I know, I'm brilliant. No need to thank me for such a great idea." Ash said, getting a fairly large opinion about him.

"Ash, if we keep going in this direction, we could easily end up on the coast. Depending on what direction we are facing, it could be weeks till we come across anything. Sinnoh is a big place. You don't want to go off wandering in a random direction." Dawn said, shooting down Ash's idea. "I think we should try to backtrack to the route, and then we can actually get a map when we get to Jubilife City"

"I agree with Dawn, backtracking is a much better idea. It shouldn't take too long to find the actual route." Stated Brock, and then he turned around and started to walk the way they came. Dawn followed right behind him, but Ash and Misty didn't start walking right away.

"Don't feel bad, Ash." Misty said to Ash, trying to comfort him after his precious idea had been criticized and ignored. "At least you were trying to think of a way to get us back on the right path."

"Thanks Misty" Ash said, quite surprised at how kind she was being. "Let's go catch up with Brock and Dawn."

After about thirty minutes, the group found where they had gone wrong. Route 202 had turned off to the right some, but they had kept walking strait. Brock and Dawn were walking ahead of Ash and Misty, and when Dawn looked behind her to make sure Ash and Misty hadn't gotten separated from her and Brock, she saw something that surprised her.

"Um, Brock, why are Ash and Misty holding hands?" inquired Dawn. Brock looked behind him, and sure enough, Ash and Misty were holding hands.

"I have no idea Dawn, I've never seen them do that before. And since they don't know that the other one has a crush on them, I don't think they really know they are holding hands." Brock replied. He then stopped so Ash and Misty caught up. "Um, guys, it's cute and all, but why are you two holding hands?"

Ash and Misty's reactions were immediate. First, they blushed redder then a rose, followed by letting go of the other person's hand. Ash and Misty where both embarrassed and confused.

_Wow, I can't believe I held Ash's hand! Maybe he isn't as dense as I thought. Maybe he does like me how I like him. Maybe someday I'll find out._ Thought Misty.

_I know Misty was being nice, but now I'm just confused. I know why I held her hand, but why didn't she say something__, as I'm sure it's embarrassing for her__. Come to think of it, when did I start holding her hand?_ Wondered Ash.

Both teens were confused about the other's actions. Misty then speed up to start talking with Dawn, so Ash walked with Brock. Misty and Dawn started to talk about hair and clothes, and Brock and Ash walked in silence. Ash was still blushing a little, but nowhere near the amount he was earlier.

The gang soon arrived in Jubilife City, a large city with about everything you could want. The problem was, each member had a different idea of what they wanted.

"Well, we should go see about getting a map so we don't get lost again like that." Brock said.

"First, we should eat!" exclaimed Ash, and without waiting for a answer, started to walk off to find food.

"Hold on Ash Ketchum. We should go shopping, there should be a nice large mall in this town." Misty said, while holding onto Ash by the back of the shirt.

"We should go eat!"

"Shopping"

"Eat"

"Shopping"

"Eat"

"Oh brother, here we go again. Maybe one day they will stop arguing and get along." Brock groaned, and then proceeded to stop the fighting. "If you two don't be quiet, I'll have to have Pikachu shock you both." Brock threatened. To help support the threat, Pikachu jumped down off of Ash's shoulder, and his cheeks started to spark with electrical current.

"Fine, we can go find a map," Misty agreed, "but we don't need to eat yet, we just ate last about three hours ago."

"Fine, I guess finding a map is better than shopping anyway." Ash said. "Misty, no one likes shopping anyway."

"Well, shopping is fun, and I could find an outfit to wear in Pokémon contests." Said Dawn, siding with Misty. "But Brock is right, we need to find a map for when we head to Oreburg Town.

The group started to walk through the Jubilife City, trying to find a store that had maps of the region. They past a decent number of restaurants, making Ash complain more about being hungry. Finally, they found a store that sold maps, and the gang entered.

"May I help you?" asked the store owner. She was tall and was wearing a skirt that was shorter then Dawn's. She also wore a tank top, and had brown hair flowing down to the level of the middle of her back. When Brock saw her, he went into his "pretty girl mode".

"Why, it's great to make your acquaintance. Has anyone told you how beautiful you are? People may think the places that these maps are the most beautiful of all, but you are more beautiful than anything in nature! Care to go for a quiet picnic some time, just you and me?" Brock managed to get out.

"Come on, leave that poor girl alone." Misty said, grabbed him by the ear, and pulled him away from the shop owner.

"I'm sorry about my friend. He gets a bit crazy sometimes." Ash apologized to the shop owner.

Brock then walked back up, but a bit more under control now. "Me and my friends are looking for a map or map book. We are traveling through Sinnoh to challenge the gym leaders and compete in Pokémon Contests. What do you have that would work."

"Well, if you had enough money and it was actually out, I would recommend the PokéTech." The girl said. "You can get lots of programs installed on it, including maps, berry finders, clocks, calendars, Pokémon monitoring tools, and lots more. The problem is that it will be expensive and it doesn't come out for another two weeks."

"Well, I guess that the PokéTech isn't an option. I guess we will just get a map of Route 203 for now." Brock decided. After paying and leaving the store, the Ash and Misty started to argue on where to go next. "Come on guys, can't you two get along like you did back on the road, where you were holding hands?" Brock said, trying to stop the arguing. Misty and Ash shut up quickly, blushing at the memory. "I know how we can satisfy both of you. We will go to the food court in the mall to eat, then the girls can shop for a bit. Is that acceptable to both of you?"

"I guess, I am kinda hunger now anyway." Agreed Misty.

"Fine, though I REALLY don't want to wait for two girls to go shopping." Ash also agreed.

The group started walking, trying to find a mall. As they did, the past by a large building, with a large sign on its saying "PokéTech Give Away!" Dawn was the first to notice the sign.

"Wow, a PokéTech giveaway. This must be the company that makes them. We should go inside to see if we can win one!" Dawn said, guiding them all toward the entrance to the store.

"Welcome! I can tell that you four are travelers. Am I guessing correctly that you are here for the PokéTech give away?" Asked a jubilant young man in a yellow clown suit.

"We sure are, how does it work?" Dawn asked, looking around for some sort of both where they could fill out sweepstakes forms or something similar.

"Pretty much, all you have to do is have an interview with our CEO. If he feels you would benefit from one, and he likes you, and so forth, he may give you your own PokeTech. I will tell the CEO that you are here. Who would like to be interviewed first?" The clown asked.

"I will, I will!" Dawn excitedly shouted, raising her hand up high.

"OK, if you will follow me then." The clown said, guiding her toward a side room. He opened a large wooden door to a office with lots of technical books lining the wall in shelves. "I have the newest interviewee here." The clown turned around, and wished Dawn good luck as he returned to the lobby.

"Well, you're an pretty young lady, let's start with your name." The CEO asked. The CEO was dressed in a black suite, with a blue tie. He would have been a stereotype businessman, except for one difference. The CEO had a Skitty sleeping on his lap.

"My name is Dawn, and I'm a beginning trainer from Twinleaf Town." Dawn replied.

"A pretty name for a pretty girl. So you're a new trainer. I guess you're heading to Oreburg to get your first badge." The CEO stated.

"Actually, I want to become a top coordinator, and win the Grand Festival." Corrected Dawn.

"Oh, a coordinator. That will fit you well. OK, next question. What has been your biggest problem so far on your journey?" The CEO asked.

"Well, my friends and I got lost on our way to Jubilife City. And we have run into a group of Pokémon thieves recently." Dawn responded.

"OK, last question. If you could have anything in the world, what would it be?" The CEO asked.

"Well, I suppose to win the Grand Festival and become a great Pokémon Coordinator like my mother." Dawn replied. She thought this was a weird question, but answered it anyway.

"OK, thank you. Would you return to the lobby and send in anyone else who is out there." The CEO instructed. "I will get back to you soon, but until then, just wait out there."

Dawn then walked back through the large wooden door and back to the lobby. The clown was out there with Ash, Misty, and Brock, and when he saw Dawn, walked off with Brock toward the CEO's office.

"Welcome, sit down." Instructed the CEO. "So, what is your name young man?"

"My name is Brock, from Pewter City, in Kanto." Replied Brock.

"Brock, as in the former gym leader Brock?" the CEO inquired.

"The one and only." Brock said, proud that someone had heard of him in this region.

"I keep track of all the gym leaders, as well as the top trainers. OK, on with the interview. What is your goal in traveling?" asked the CEO.

"I wish to learn all I can about Pokémon so I can become a great Pokémon Breeder. Oh, and meeting lots of girls doesn't hurt either." Brock replied, a smile lighting up his face as he thought of girls.

"OK, last question. If you could anything in the world, what would it be?" asked the CEO.

"Well, it would probably be a tie between having a pretty girlfriend and being the guest of honor at a Pokémon Breeder convention." Said Brock.

The CEO laughed after Brock's wish for a girlfriend. "OK, if you would return to the lobby, I will let you know whether or not you got a PokéTech soon. Is there anyone else out there waiting for an interview?"

"Yes, I will have the clown send the next on in when I get out there." Brock said. He then turned around and returned to the lobby. The clown then sent in Misty, who looked a bit nervous.

"Welcome. It appears we have another pretty young lady. May I ask your name?" The CEO asked when Misty had sat down in front of his desk.

"My name is Misty Waterflower, from Cerulean City, in Kanto. And this is my Azuril." Misty replied. The cute normal type Pokémon was sleeping in her arms.

"Wow, another former gym leader, and a cute baby Pokémon. I suppose you left you sisters in charge of the gym while you are traveling." The CEO stated. Before Misty could answer, he continued talking. "Anyway, doesn't really matter. What do you like least about yourself?"

"Well, um, I never really thought of that." Misty said. She twirled her orange hair while thinking. "I would have to say either having a grudge against my older sisters for so long or not telling the person I have loved for many years how I fell."

"OK, thank you. And one final question. If you could have whatever you wanted, anything in the world, what would it be?" the CEO asked.

"I would have to say it would having the boy I love know how I feel and him feel the same. That or the ability to travel and be a gym leader at the same time." Misty replied, slightly embarrassed, but wanting to tell the truth. Misty then wondered, _When did I realize that I loved Ash. It must have been when I meet back up with him in Pallet Town. Maybe my jealousy of Anabel made me realize it._

"OK, that is all. I will make my decision soon, so if you could wait out in the lobby. And Please tell me there are no one else waiting for an interview." The CEO instructed.

"Actually, there is one more." Misty said.

"Well, I guess send him in." The CEO said, and with that Misty returned to the lobby and soon later, Ash walked through the door.

"Welcome my boy, sit down. And what is your name?" The CEO asked.

"My name is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, in Kanto."

"Oh, so you're the Ash that Delila was talking about." The CEO stated. When he mentioned Ash's mom's name, Ash's face gained a look of shock.

"How do you know my mom's name?" Asked Ash.

"Oh, I meet here once when I was out in Kanto visiting Professor Oak." The CEO explained. "OK, on to the questions. First, what is your favorite thing to do with Pokémon?"

"My favorite thing would probably have to be hangout out with them and making new friends when I battle other trainers." Ash responded,

"OK, I like that answer. OK, final question. If you could have anything, I mean anything, even if not realistic, if you could have anything you want, what would it be?" The CEO asked.

Ash thought for a moment, and then responded, "I would want to be the greatest Pokémon Master ever!"

"From your hesitation I can tell there is something else you want. Something tells me though it has to do with the girl I interviewed before you." The CEO stated. At this comment, Ash blushed some, then got himself back under control. "Anyway, I will meet you out in the lobby in about five minutes. Just wait out there till my assistant fetches you and your friends so I can inform your group of my decision."

Ash went out to the lobby. Everyone was wondering if they would win a PokéTech. After about five minutes, the clown returned.

"OK, all four of you, would you follow me, the decision has been made." The clown said while gesturing to Ash, Misty, Brock, and Dawn to follow. The four of them followed the clown back to the CEO's office. When they entered, the CEO had a big smile on his face.

"Welcome back. First, I would like to say thank you, as I enjoy meeting Pokémon trainers. And for some of the entertainment provided by the interviews." The CEO said. "I have decided on the PokéTech give away. I normally wouldn't do what I'm about to do, but I will make an exception." The CEO reached into a drawer in his desk, and pulled out what looked like a pink watch. He then walked over to Dawn, handing her the PokéTech. Dawn's face lit up with glee when she saw the pink PokéTech. The CEO then went back to his desk and reached into the drawer again. He withdrew a black PokéTech this time, and handed it to Brock. The CEO then grabbed another two PokéTechs from the drawer, both red, and gave them to Ash and Misty. "I normally only give out one PokéTech per group, but I'll make an exception this time. One thing that impressed me was that none of you said you wanted a PokéTech more than anything. I like it when people are truthful. Each of those PokéTechs has some standard programs on it, including clock, Pokémon monitor, and a few others. I also included a special one for you guys since you all travel together. It is a special communication program, where you can either send text messages or talk to each other, all with the PokéTech. I also threw on one or two extra programs for each of you, depending on what I thought you could use the most. Dawn, you PokéTech contains a program to check on the condition of your Pokémon for contests, like how cool, cute, smart, and so forth, that your Pokémon are. I also included a berry locating system, so it makes it easier for you to find berries. Brock, yours contains a Breeding Center program, as well as the berry program that is on Dawn's PokéTech. Misty, yours contains a program to see the happiness of your Pokémon, as does yours Ash. Misty, you also have a set of locations that will display on a map program. These locations are where water Pokémon live. You will need to get a map program from a store though at some point for it to work though. Ash, your PokéTech contains another set of locations, these are locations of Pokémon gyms, both official and unofficial."

Dawn was the first to speak after the CEO finished talking. "Thank you! These PokéTechs look awesome. Again, thank you!" The rest of the group thanked the CEO of the PokéTech Company. The CEO then turned back to Dawn.

"Dawn, good luck becoming a top coordinator. I will see if you make it into this year's Grand Festival." The CEO said. He then turned to Brock. "Brock, good luck with becoming a great Pokémon Breeder. I'm sure you will do great. Also, good luck on the girl front as well." Next was Misty. "Misty, good luck becoming a great water Pokémon trainer. I know you want to do that as well as what you told me." The CEO then looked to Ash. "Ash, say hi to your mother for me, and see if she even remembers me. Good luck with become a Pokémon Master, I have a feeling that you can do it." The CEO then addressed the whole group. "Just to remind you, programs for the PokéTech will come out now and then, some will be a free download while others you will need to buy from a store. But after you get the program, all you have to do is download it to your PokéTech. Good luck to you guys on your respective dreams. Have a good day." With that, the clown guided Ash, Misty, Brock, and Dawn back to the lobby, where they thanked the clown, and then left.

"Well, I guess we should go see about getting that map program for the PokéTech. I also get to see that beautiful girl again!" Brock said.

"We should go eat first!" Ash said. "That's what we were going to do before we got sidetracked by the PokéTechs."

Unfortunately for Ash, Brock was older, more obsessed about seeing that girl again then Ash was for eating, and was backed by Dawn. So, they headed back to the store where they had bought the Route 203 map. The door jingles as they walked in, and the girl was at the counter, taking maps out of a box and putting them where they belong.

"Welcome back." Commented the girl. Her eyes then fell on the PokéTech that each of them had on their rests. "Wow! You guys got a PokéTech! And four of them! I guess you got them through the companies give away. I tried, but I didn't get one. Most of the people who got PokéTechs were traveling trainers, like you guys. I'm assuming that you now want to buy that map program for the PokéTech, right?"

"That's correct beautiful, and your beauty outshines the hi-techness of these PokéTechs." Brock said flirtingly. "We would also like to return this map of Route 203, since we won't exactly need it now."

Once the transaction was completed and the map program loaded onto the PokéTechs, Ash insisted on getting some food. So, Ash, Misty, Brock, and Dawn headed back toward the mall. This time though, they had an idea where they were going as the PokéTech had data on the locations of lots of stores, Pokémon Centers, and other attractions throughout Sinnoh. As the gang walked into the mall's food court, Ash saw someone that he, Misty, and Brock recognized…


	6. Secrets Revealed

Here is the last chapter that I have saved up. After this, I have to actually write the next chapter. Well, anyway, here we go.

* * *

Chapter 6

Secrets Revealed

The girl in front of them, sitting at a table in the food court, had teal hair pulled up into ponytails on each side of her head. She wore an orange tee-shirt with a large yellow star on it, along with a blue pair of pants. She had three Pokémon sitting on the table also. Two pink Ditto and then a blue Ditto. The girl looked up, saw Ash and the rest of the group, walked over, and smiled.

"Wow, a surprise to see you here! Long time no see. The last time we saw you was what, in Johto?" Misty exclaimed after seeing the old friend.

"Ya, it was in Johto, though I did see Ash on TV during the Hoenn league tournament and during the battle with Tucker in the Battle Frontier." Said the girl. "And who might your new friend be?"

"Oh, that's Dawn and she's a new Pokémon coordinator. We just started traveling with her yesterday." Misty answered.

"Nice to meet you Dawn, my name is Duplica. I want to be a Ditto Master." Dawn giggled when Duplica mentioned "Ditto Master". "What's so funny? A Ditto master is a great thing. And these three Pokémon are my Ditto."

Dawn took her Pokédex out and scanned one of her Ditto. "Ditto, the transformation Pokémon. This Pokémon's can reconfigure its cells to simulate another Pokémon exactly." The Pokédex stated.

"Why is that Ditto a different color?" Dawn asked.

"I found this Ditto just recently, out west from here, on Route 218. I had heard that there were Ditto out there if you use a PokéRadar, so I went out there, and after a bit, found this one. It's a different color than normal, called a shiny Pokémon." Explained Duplica.

"Well, I'm hungry, let's go eat!" Ash interrupted, and for once, Misty agreed with him.

"Yes, let's go eat." Misty said. "I feel like a salad."

"I always thought you were more like a carrot, or at least your head was a carrot. Anyway, I want a hamburger." Ash told Misty.

"Well, I don't care, I want a salad." Misty shot back.

"Um, guys, you don't need to argue over completely irrelevant things. We are in a food court. Misty, you can get your salad at one place and Ash, you can get your hamburger." Brock said, trying to stop the arguing.

"Still get along the same I see. Someday they'll figure it out." Duplica mentioned to no one in particular.

"What do you mean, figure it out someday? I don't get it. What are you saying?" Ash asked, a perplexed look on his face. Misty on the other hand, knew exactly what Duplica was talking about. She blushed, turned around, and told them she was going to find something to eat, hoping that no one had seen her blushing. Ash also went to find his hamburger, Pikachu following, wanting to get to the ketchup packets.

Half an hour later, the group was done with lunch. Lunch had been calm, with Ash catching Duplica up with his achievements, showing off their PokéTechs, and Brock flirting with every pretty girl that walked by.

"Time to go shopping!" Misty exclaimed as she threw her trash away.

"Yes, let's go!" agreed Dawn eagerly.

"I'll join you, it's been a while since I have been shopping at a mall." Duplica added. The three of them started to walk off, but the guys jumped in the way to stop them before they got too far away.

"Hold on, first we have to figure out when and where we'll meet. How about in an hour and a half and we meet right back here?" Brock proposed.

Everyone agreed, though Ash and the girls were thinking two different things. Ash thought an hour and a half was too long, they could be using that time to get to the gym in Oreburg City, and the girls thought that it wasn't enough time to visit all the shops in the mall. The girls then walked off, talking and giggling, trying to figure out what store to go to first. Brock then pulled Ash off to the side of the food court, almost tripping of a chair on the way there. The first thing he did was make sure the girls were out of earshot.

"OK, spill Ash. What is going on between you and Misty? Are you finally getting together?" Brock questioned.

Ash was shocked by Brock's sudden barrage of questions. He tried to keep his composure, but was unable to do so. "Well, err, I, um, no, not really, nope, don't think so, err, I don't know-" Ash stammered.

"Ash, you're making no sense. Can't you string together a coherent sentence?" Brock asked.

"Coharent what?" Ash replied.

"Oh, never mind, you can't even pronounce it right. Anyway, I know you like her, and I know she likes you. You just need to tell her. Be like me, be brave, talk to her. Tell her how you fell." Brock advised.

"When you say, 'Be like me', you mean get rejected?" Ash asked. Brock dropped his head, a sad expression on his face.

"No, not like me. I want you to do what I've never succeeded. You really should talk to her. There is nothing to be afraid of. I know she likes you too." Said Brock.

"But what if-"Ash started to ask before Brock cut him off.

"Just do it. Find a good time and just do it. It will work out, you'll see." Brock said, trying to encourage him. Brock then slapped Ash on the shoulder to wish him good luck, but hit him a bit too hard. Ash hadn't been expecting this, and feel to the floor.

"I can tell this is going to work out so well…" Ash said sarcastically as he got up from the floor and brushed himself off. But Ash decided that as much as Brock failed, he knew best in these matters of the heart. Ash, looking extremely nervous and fidgety, went to find Misty.

"So Misty, how have you been?" Duplica asked, a big small on her face as she found another shirt she liked.

"Oh, not bad. I'm glad to be traveling again instead of sitting in the gym waiting for more challengers. Oooh, this shirt's cute!" Misty exclaimed as she picked out a shirt from the rack. Dawn was over on the other side of the store looking at skirts. "I just don't know what to do about Ash…"

"Oh, you mean how to tell him that you like him?" Duplica asked.

"Ya, I guess so. Ready to go to another store?" Misty asked.

"No changing the subject. So, you've admitted to yourself that you like him. Good. Brock and I talked about a way to get that step done when I meet up with you guys back in Johto. I guess that parts done then. You just need to find some time to tell him how you feel. Brock told me that he knows that Ash likes you back, but you two are just too stubborn to see it." Duplica told Misty. She then reached over and grabbed Misty by the shoulders. "Just come out and tell him!"

"OK, I guess I probably should. He deserves to know, though but I'm afraid it will ruin our friendship."

"Don't worry about that. If you always worry about that, you will never be more then you are. I'm ready to go now. Dawn, are you ready?" Duplica asked.

"I guess so. I'm not finding much here." Dawn replied.

The three girls left the store, talking and giggling. They went to the from store to store, looking at clothes. Ash on the other hand, had different things on his mind.

Ash walked through the mall, looking for the girls. He stopped to look out a window, and a trainer came up behind him. He was a bit older then Ash, wearing a plain pair of jeans and a blue T-Shirt that said 'Tough guys catch small Pokémon.'

"Hi, my name is Jeremy. Judging by that Pikachu on your shoulder, I'm guessing you're a Pokémon trainer. Wanna battle?" The trainer asked.

_A battle! Oh, I was trying to find Misty though. Brock thinks I really should tell her how I feel. But I wanna battle. Oh well. I __can talk to Misty anytime, but this trainer battle is a onetime thing._ "Sure, I'll battle you. How about a one on one battle?"

"Sure, let's go outside to have our battle." Ash and Jeremy walked outside to start their battle. They stopped in a open field nearby.

"I choose you, Starly!" Ash shouted as he tossed Starly's pokéball into the air. The small bird Pokémon took to the air, flying in circles about Ash's head while waiting for Jeremy to release his Pokémon.

"OK, let's start." Jeremy said. He pulled a pokéball off of his belt. "Go, Pachirisu!" He then through the pokéball and a small squirrel Pokémon appeared in a flash of light. It had little yellow electric pouches like on its cheeks, similar to Pikachu's. It also had a blue strip on its top that stretched from the tip of its tail to the front of its face.

"Never seen that Pokémon before. What is it?" Ash asked as he pulled out his Pokédex.

"Pachirisu, the electric squirrel Pokémon. The electric sacks on its cheeks generate a large amount of electricity. This Pokémon enjoys hanging out around power plants." The Pokédex informed Ash.

"OK Starly, we can do this. It may be an electric type, but you're the better Pokémon!" Ash said, encouraging his Pokémon.

"OK, you can go first. I won't need more than one attack to finish off your Pokémon." Jeremy told Ash.

"OK, Starly, use wing attack!" Ash ordered. Starly shot toward Pachirisu.

"Pachirisu, stand your ground." Jeremy ordered. His Pachirisu braced itself for impact. Starly flew down toward Pachirisu, and hit it right in the stomach. "Perfect. Now Pachirisu, use discharge!"

Pachirisu crackled with electricity, and Starly was shocked with a huge amount of energy. Starly fell to the ground, while Pachirisu looked fine.

"Well, it looks like my Pachirisu wins!" Jeremy said, a grin spreading across his gleeful face. But then his grin started to fail, as Starly struggled back up to its feet. "You've lost, call your Starly back before it gets really hurt."

"Starly, are you alright?" Ash asked his bird Pokémon. Starly had managed to get back on its feet. "I think you should rest. Starly, return." A beam of light shot out of the pokéball, made contact with Starly, and started to absorb Starly. But right as the Starly was absorbed into his pokéball, the beam broke and Starly reemerged.

"Starly, star star ly starly." Starly chirped.

"You want to keep battling?" Ash asked it. Starly nodded its head to confirm. "OK, Jeremy, looks like this battle isn't over yet. Starly, use double team!" Starly duplicated itself a few times and all the copies started circling over Pachirisu's head.

"You can't trick us, Pachirisu, thundershock them all!" Jeremy ordered. Pachirisu let out a large amount of energy, shocking all the copies flying around him. They all disappeared. "Pachirisu, the real one isn't there, look out."

Ash smiled, and then looked up toward the sky. "Starly, use endeavor." The bird Pokémon flew down toward Pachirisu at high speeds, and impacted the squirrel Pokémon. Pachirisu was knocked back hard, but got to its feet. "Starly, finished it. Use wing attack." Starly flew toward the injured Pokémon, and got a direct hit. Starly then landed on the ground, breathing hard. But Pachirisu wasn't as lucky. Pachirisu fell back, knocked out.

Starly began to glow though, and then turned completely white. Starly grew in size, and the little tuff of feathers on grew larger. "Starly, great job, you evolved into Staravia." Ash took out his Pokédex, and scanned Staravia.

"Staravia, the Starling Pokémon. This Pokémon lives in large flocks, but different flocks don't get along with each other very well." The Pokédex stated.

"Good job, you tried hard." Said Jeremy. He then returned his Pachirisu to its pokéball, and then walked over to Ash and Staravia. "Great job, your Staravia is a great Pokémon. Maybe all battle you again someday.

"Your Pachirisu is also great. I hope to see you again someday." Ash replied. Then, he looked at his PokéTech, then pulled out Staravia's pokéball. "Staravia, return. Glad to meet you Jeremy, but I was supposed to meet my friends fifteen minutes ago!" Ash then ran off toward the food court.

"Why does that twerp have to win all the time? For once, I would like to see him lose." Jessie complained. "I wish the boss would send us some reinforcements to help capture that Pikachu. Maybe would should ask him."

"Do know what the boss would do to us if we asked him to send us help. He won't even give us anymore money." James then walked over to the nearest phone. "It worth a try. The worst he can do is fire us." The trio walked over to a pay phone, dialed the boss's phone number, and then waited for the inevitable thrashing.

"What is it?" asked a gruff voice from the other line when he picked up. "What do you three fools what now?"

"Well boss, we wouldn't mind for a few grunts to come out here and help us catch that Pikachu. Then, we will have a very powerful Pikachu on your side." James asked. "Please, most excellent, evilest, smar-" but he was cut off.

"Enough sucking up. I'm sending some members of Team Rocket out there. Report to Veilstone City immediately!" The boss informed the trio. With that, the boss hung up the phone.

"Ash, where have you been. Your twenty minutes late. Did you forget how to tell time?" Misty scolded.

"I was in a Pokémon battle with another trainer, and I lost track of time." Said Ash. But then, the group heard a grumbling noise coming from Ash. "I think we should get some more to eat." Brock and Misty fell to the ground, and Dawn and Duplica sweatdropped.

"We don't have time to eat, Ash. You just ate two hours ago anyway. If we don't leave for Oreburg city soon, we won't be able to get there before tomorrow evening." Brock reminded Ash. Dawn, who was looking down at the ground nervously, finally decided to speak up.

"I thought we were going to the Pokémon contest in this city?" Dawn asked. "I want to be a coordinator, so I need to participate in contests, and there is one in this city tomorrow days."

"Oh, I forgot. OK, I guess we can stay in Jubilife City until your contest. Is that alright with you, Brock?" Misty asked.

"Ya, that's fine. Though Dawn, I think you should work with your Piplup's combination attacks, you'll need some sort of appeal." Brock told Dawn.

Ash on the other hand, was not so happy about this arrangement. "But I want to get the Oreburg City so I can get my first Sinnoh badge!" Ash complained. He looked at Brock, and then turned to Misty, and then Dawn. "Contests aren't as fun to watch as battling in a gym battle anyway."

"Don't be so rude. Dawn is part of our group now. Besides, you went to May's Pokémon contests." Brock pointed out. Brock then got in real close to Ash and whispered in Ash's ear, "Did you tell Misty?"

"No, not yet." Ash replied quietly. Misty then walked up to Ash and Brock. Brock pulled away and Ash blushed slightly.

"Well, I better head out. I have another performance soon, so my Ditto and I better get home. It was great to meet up with you guys." Duplica told the group. Ash, Misty, Brock, and Dawn waved goodbye to Duplica as she set off. After walking about fifteen feet, she remembered something and turned around to face the group. "And Misty, don't forget what we talked about!" She yelled toward Misty. Duplica then turned, and walked out of site, heading toward the nearest dock.

Ash then turned to face Misty. "So, what was Duplica talking about?" Ash asked.

Misty blushed a some, and then turned away for a moment to regain her composure. "Nothing, just girl stuff, like makeup and clothes. Stuff you wouldn't care about."

"Sure… " Ash didn't believe her, but let the topic go. "Well, we should head out toward Oreburg City for my next gym battle. Let's go!" Ash exclaimed, punching his hand up into the air. Ash, Brock, and Misty started walking toward Oreburg City, but Dawn didn't move. She was looking up toward the sky, watching something intently.

"What's that?" she asked. She was looking toward a large group of helicopters flying overhead, heading north-east. The helicopters were a pure black color except for a large red symbol on the side.

"Looks like a group of helicopters. Where are they going?" Brock wondered.

"Ya, ya, boring. Let's go, I want to get to my gym battle as soon as possible!" Ash said, pushing Brock and Dawn along.

"Actually, it is time for my contest!" Dawn reminded Ash. Ash faces sunk with despair, know that Misty and Brock would side with Dawn. "OK, let's go. The contest is over back near where we got the PokéTechs. Let's go guys. I need to train a bit tonight before the contest tomorrow. Come on Ash, let's go!". The group set off toward the Pokémon center to stay the night.

On their way there Brock had an idea. "How about we all enter the Pokémon contest! It would be really fun."

"Sounds like fun! I've never been in a contest before!" Misty exclaimed. "I could use Caserin, that would be a good Pokémon for a contest."

"OK, I'll do it too, though I don't know what Pokémon I will use." Ash said. "Oh well, it can't be any harder than the last one I did in Kanto."

"Misty, can I talk to you?" Ash asked Misty later that night. They had got two rooms at the Pokémon center, one for the guys, and one for the girls. Ash had gone up to Misty's room, extremely nervously.

"Sure, what is this about?" Misty asked.

"Ya, tell us Ash." Dawn told him, shutting the door and looking at Ash with a questioning look. Ash looked surprised when he noticed that Dawn was in the room, she was on top of the bunk, hidden by the door until she closed it behind Ash.

"Wow, Dawn! I didn't know you where in here!" Ash exclaimed. Now he was extremely nervous, fidgeting with a pokéball on his belt. "Well then, Misty, can I, um, well, can I, well, what I mean is, can I, um, well-" Ash stammered.

"Oh just get on with it Ash, I have a contest tomorrow and I need my sleep." Dawn complained. "Just get on with what you were going to say."

"Well Misty, can I talk to you, a-a-al-alone?" Ash asked. He was fidgeting so much, that he accidently knocked the pokéball off his belt. Ash reached down, picked up the pokéball, and when he stood back up, his face was bright red with embarrassment.

"All right, Dawn, could you leave for a moment?" Misty requested. "Maybe you can go talk to Brock about a good strategy for your contest tomorrow. Brock watched May in lots of her contests, so he may have some useful insight."

"Ya, he even competed in a contest of his own once." Ash added.

"OK, I'll go talk to Brock." Dawn said. She walked out the door, and closed it behind her. She then knelt down, and pressed her ear against the crack between the door and the frame around it.

"So, what's this about Ash?" Dawn heard Misty ask. "And Dawn, could you PLEASE stop listening through the crack in the door?" Misty requested.

"Fine, though I imagine what is about to go on in there could be extremely interesting." Dawn said, and walked away.

"Anyway, what is this about Ash, as Dawn said, what is this about?" Misty asked. Ash looked toward the ground, then turned to the door. He reached for the doorknob, shaking with nervousness.

"Ah, this was a bad idea, bye!" Ash said starting to turn the doorknob.

"Not so fast, I want to know what you were going to say. Go, Corsala! Use spike cannon to seal that door!" Misty ordered as she grabbed a pokéball from her backpack and tossed it toward the door. The pink and white Pokémon appeared, then turned white and shot some spike cannon shots toward the door. Ash had to remove his hand from the doorknob so it didn't get blasted with the attack. The spikes stuck in the door, sealing it shut. "Know, what where you talking about Ash?" Misty asked in a somewhat mocking sort of way and with a look on her face that made Ash squirm even more than before.

"Well, I, well, Brock, he wanted me to tell you that, he really likes you." Ash told her. He then realized what he had said. "I mean, not Brock. He wanted me to tell you that-" Ash started, to correct himself, but halted before he could finish. "The thing is, Brock thought that I should tell you that I-" Ash stammered, but stopped before he was finish. Ash was now very scared, afraid that what he was about to say would ruin his friendship with Misty.

_I wonder if he wants to tell me that he likes me!_ Misty wondered, her excitement building. _After all this time traveling together, will it finally happen?_

"Go on Ash, what is it you're trying to say?" Misty asked, now completely serious and her voice dripped with curiosity.

"Well, it's that I well, I guess that, I, um, what I mean to say is-" Ash stammered. He then gulped, gathered all of his courage, and started again. "What I'm trying to say is that I really like you, more than a friend, more than a best friend. I love you Misty." Ash finally got it off his chest. The ball was now in Misty's court, and Ash waited for her to respond.

"Ash." Misty said, unsure how to continue. She staggered from the shock of hearing Ash actually confirm that he liked her like she liked him, and grabbed the side of the bed for support. _This is a dream come true! _Misty though, her mind spinning. _He told me that he loves me. I have looked forward to this day for a long time._

"If you don't like me that way, just say so and forget that this conversation even happened!" Ash blurted out after Misty not saying anything else. _She isn't saying anything! Maybe Brock was wrong. WHY, oh why did I listen to Brock about this? He may think he knows a lot about love, but he has NEVER gotten a girl to like him. _

"No, it's not that I don't like you, I just didn't know what to say. But I have feelings for you also, and even though you can be a royal pain with a skull thicker than a Cubone's, I love you too." Misty said, tears starting to form in her eyes.

"Why are you starting to cry?" Ash asked her, a confused look on his face. Misty had started to cry silently, though her face wasn't a sad face.

"Ash, these are tears of happiness." Misty told him, and then took a step closer to him. She reached out and took hold of him. She then pulled him closer, and the two of them hugged. Ash and Misty just stood there, holding each other in their arms. They just stood there in each other's embrace for a few minutes.

"OK, I want to know what's going on!" Dawn demanded impatiently as she opened the door with a bang. She then saw Ash and Misty hugging each other, and stepped back. "Oh, I think I am interrupted something." Dawn then backed out of the door, but the damage had been done. Ash and Misty blushed bright crimson, let go of each other, and backed away. Ash then turned and walked out the door, extremely embarrassed. He and Misty didn't say anything to each other as Ash left. A few minutes later, Dawn reentered the room.

"So, what happened?" Dawn asked. She climbed up to the top of the bunk bed and sat down on top of her bed. Misty didn't say anything, and proceeded to lie down on her bed. Dawn decided that it was probably better to not say anything more. Misty just laid in bed, and long after Dawn had drifted off to sleep, Misty finally went to sleep, her mind spinning with thoughts of what had happened just a hour before.

The next morning, Ash woke up at the crack of dawn, the light filtering in through the window. Normally, Ash would be looking forward to the events of the day, in this case, the Pokémon contest. But in this case, only one thing was on his mind. Misty. How would she react to him today? Would she ignore what happened last night, would she ignore him, or would she talk to him about last night? Too bad Dawn interrupted when she did. Well, she would do what she would do, and Ash couldn't think of a way to make things go his way if needed. Ash got out of bed, stretched, and walked down to the lower level to get some breakfast.

_So, what Pokémon should I use for the contest? _Ash wondered. _Staravia might be__ a__good__ choice__ or Pikachu. Oh, I could use Aipom. I think Aipom would be a good choice for the appeal stage. Then I can use Staravia for the battle stage._ As Ash walked down into the cafeteria, he saw Dawn was already up and eating breakfast. Ash walked over to the counter, grabbed a bowl of cereal, and went to sit next to Dawn. She looked up for a moment, and then looked back down at her breakfast. Ash and Dawn ate breakfast silently, neither of them talking. Ash was preoccupied with his mind jumping back and forth between thinking about Misty's reaction to him today, and the upcoming Pokémon contest. Dawn was extremely nervous, having never been in a Pokémon contest before.

"So, Dawn, are you ready for the Pokémon contest?" Ash asked, trying to break the ice. Dawn looked up, looked at Ash for a second, and then started to twirl her spoon in her bowl of cereal.

"I think so. Piplup and I have been training for it, so hopefully I'll win. But if I don't, hopefully you, Misty, or Brock win." Dawn said, still swirling her cereal. She felt bad about interrupting Ash and Misty last night.

Ash and Dawn heard footsteps coming over, and looked up. Brock had gotten up and was feeding his Bonsly as he walked toward Ash and Dawn to eat breakfast. "Hey guys. Glad to see you up. Is Misty up yet?" Brock asked, looking around to see if he missed her.

"No, she still up in the room. She hasn't said anything to me since last night though. She's just been lying on her bed, staring at the bottom of my part of the bunk bed. Ash, perhaps you should go up there and talk to her." Dawn suggested. Ash nodded and silently got up and headed to Misty's room.

Ash lightly knocked on Misty's door, hoping everything would go alright. He then heard Misty's voice come from inside. "Come on in."

Ash opened the door and walked in. Misty was still just staring at the upper bunk bed, not moving at all when he entered. "Misty, what's wrong?" Ash asked. A nervous feeling came over Ash, and he wasn't sure what else to say. "Why don't you go eat breakfast before the contest?" Suggested Ash. Misty didn't say anything to Ash as she got up and walked toward the door. Ash followed her out silently, not knowing what was wrong.

_Why can't I talk to her? I told her I love her yesterday, and now we can barely talk to each other. Why? What did I do wrong? _Ash's thoughts raced, trying to think of a way to rectify this situation, but nothing came to him. _This isn't my thing. Brock __is__ the one into girls, not me. Misty __is__ the romantic, not me. Why did I have to get into this mess? Pokémon are much simpler then girls. I should just stick to Pokémon, as they have nothing to do with girls. Well, except for Latias, but that was different. Maybe someone can help me with Misty. Not Brock, he would probably have me do something that would scare away Misty __just like all the girls Brock has ever liked. Who __do I__ know that could help __me__? Of course!_ Ash raced to the video phone and picked it up. He then began to dial the number of the person that he hoped could help him. But the question is, would he help Ash. One the other end, a small girl picked up the phone.

"Oh, hi. Your name was Ash right? How is Misty?" The girl asked him.

"Ya, that's right, my name is Ash. And I was actually calling about Misty. I was hoping to speak to your brother." Ash told the young girl.

"Oh, he just finished beating a challenger, so he is almost free. I'll go tell him your calling and he'll be here in a minute or two. Just hold on." The girl ran off from the video range of the phone, off to find her brother. Now the only question was, would he help Ash with his problem, or just try to make it worse.

* * *

Well, I hope you enjoyed it. Can anyone figure out who Ash is calling? Review and if you mention who it is and get the awnser right, I will give you credit at the begining of the next chapter. As of now, I have no idea how long it will be till the next chapter. I have come to the realization that I need more discription in my story, as there dosn't seem to be enough compared to the dialog. Thanks, and remember to review! 


	7. Battles Galore!

Sorry for not updating. I had this chapter done for about a week and forgot to post it here. Sorry. Anyway, here is the next chapter, enjoy. Congrats to Raven the Ravenous, lilypad456, gilmaxter, dbzgtfan2004, Confuto Romanorum Imperator for guessing the mystery person correctly. I guess that is everyone how even guessed. I guess it was a pretty easy guess. Tired of me saying 'guess'? OK, read on. Edit: Thanks to Raven the Ravenous for finding a stupid error of mine. Saturn is now Jupiter.

* * *

Chapter 7 

Battles Galore!

"Well, well, well, if isn't Ash." Said the boy who had just arrived at the other end of the video phone. He had red-brown hair and a black shirt, covered by a white vest. In the background where a few Pokémon appeared to be dancing. Ash gulped.

"Rudy, nice to see you again. How have you been? I hear you just had a battle with a challenger, how did it go?" Ash decided that he would try to get Rudy comfortable around him before asking about Misty. But, considering Rudy had liked Misty as well, would he hold a grudge against Ash, since Misty had chosen Ash over Rudy. Ash decided he would have to run any advice Rudy gave him by Brock.

"Oh, it was just some kid named Corey. His Porygon, Murkrow, and Beedrill were wiped out by my Venamoth, Crawdaunt, and Dodrio. He didn't knock out a single of my Pokémon. I was also the first Orange Crew member he had battled. I told him to train some more before he tried to challenge any more Orange Crew members. Anyway, what is it your calling about?" Rudy asked.

"Well, um remember back after our gym battle, you told me I was a very lucky guy? Were you referring Misty choosing to stay and travel with me?" Ash asked. Rudy's facial expression changed, a slight amount of jealousy in his expression found its way into his expression. It only lasted a moment before it vanished. Ash then saw a small head pop up behind Rudy.

"Ya, I wanted Misty to stay with us and be like my big sister! You took her away from us!" The girl shouted at Ash. Rudy then patted her on the head and pushed her away from the video phone.

"Marie, go on. Just go play with Starmie." Rudy said kindly to his younger sister. "Yes, Ash when I told you that you where a lucky guy, that's part of what I meant. But it was also because, well, you'll find out someday. Or is the reason you're calling because you have figured it out?" Rudy's facial expression had changed to surprise and wonder at the same time.

"Ya, I think I figured it out. It wasn't just because Misty wanted to keep travelling with me and Tracy, it was because she also like ME more than she liked you, am I correct?" Ash asked.

Rudy nodded solemnly. The moment Misty had made up her mind to go with Ash was still clear in his mind.

Flashback

It was the deciding battle of the gym battle. Both trainers had won one match and lost one match. It was down to the last battle. The announcer riding the gym's Pidgeot was announcing that the final battle was between water Pokémon.

"I choose you Starmie!" Rudy said as he tossed the pokéball. With a flash of white light, the purple star Pokémon appeared on the battlefield. Rudy then flung his hair as he directed his attention to Misty who was floating in a hot air balloon along with his sister. "I dedicate this victory to the girl who saved my sister and stole my heart."

With that statement, Misty was a bit surprised, but Marie perked up. "I knew it! I knew right away my brother really liked you, Misty!" Marie said enthusiastically. Rudy's statement and Marie's enthusiasm made her sink her head in thought.

"That's real nice, but the victory is going to be mine!" Ash shouted toward Rudy. Ash then released his Squirtle and the battle commenced. Rudy then turned on some music to help his Starmie dodge attacks better.

"Misty, this is for you, a very special dance. Starmie, spin yourself into a thunderbolt attack. Starmie then unleashed a thunderbolt attack. Marie got excited thinking her brother was going to win and Tracy mentioned that it didn't look good for Ash. Misty was still deep in thought, unsure of what she wanted. She then dropper her head in deep concentration, and then proceeded to yell at Ash.

"Ash, what are you gona do?! Just stand there and let him bet ya?!" Misty shouted down toward the battlefield. Marie was in shock that Misty wanted Ash to win. "Come on, you're the only one who can bring out Squirtle's real power!"

"I know that, I'm not stupid!" Ash shouted back, and an argument began.

"Then don't just stand there, do something!" Misty yelled back. "You already beat Rudy once, you can beat him again!"

Rudy's eyes reflected the confusion and surprise he felt. "She wants him." Rudy muttered to himself. _Why did she choose him? He's just a kid. She even told me herself that he was stubborn and thick headed. How she was always arguing with him. I treated her like a lady. What does she see in him that she doesn't see in me?_ The battle then continued, with Squirtle learning hydro pump and using it and a skull bash attack to knock out Rudy's Starmie.

Later that day, as the sun was setting, Rudy gave Ash his Spike Shell badge. He then proceeded to pull a bouquet of flowers and handed to her. _Even if I can't have her with me__ now__, hopefully she will return to Trovita Island some day. Maybe then she'll stay. _"Misty, I know you've already made your decision, but these are for you."

"I-, thanks Rudy." Misty said, thanking him for his kindness.

"I hope you know, you're a very lucky guy, Ash." Rudy told Ash. Ash's was slightly confused at that statement.

"Lucky, what do you mean?" Ash asked.

"You'll see someday." Rudy replied cryptically. _Or hopefully, he won't_

End Flashback

"Well, I guess someday has come. You must have figured it out, now that you're calling me. So, what was I talking about?" Rudy asked.

"You must have been referring to Misty's feelings for me. Feelings that were more than friendship." Ash told Rudy. "I also kinda messed up. I told Misty how I felt."

"Err, how is that messing up, exactly?" Rudy asked. "I know I would have thought that a good thing."

Ash then explained some of what happened the previous night. "Well, she won't really talk to me now. She isn't angry, she just doesn't really talk to me. And the thing is, I seem to be the same way. When I try to talk to her now, I just get really nervous."

"I think I see what your problem is. You guys got interrupted before you had figured out exactly how these new feelings worked. You weren't able to truly figure things out before your friend interrupted you." Rudy explained, and as Ash heard it, it sounded logical to him.

"So then, what do I do about this? I want to fix it." Inquired Ash.

Rudy's face now showed signs of conflicting emotions. _Do I help him out? He did take Misty away from me and my sister. But no, it was her choice to go, not something he decided. But if I can't have her, why shou__ld he! Why does he deserve her and not me? I don't know what to do! What would Misty want me to do? I guess I should do what would make her happy. __Perhaps I should help Ash out._

"OK, I think I know what you can do. Just act like friends at first. Get comfortable around each other again. Then you can try again. Or as you get more comfortable around each other, things might go a bit differently by themselves, and you two will be closer than before." Rudy explained to Ash.

"OK, thanks. I've got to run as I have a Pokémon Contest coming up very soon, so I have to get to the contest hall. But thanks for the help. And I'm sorry for you that Misty didn't stay with you, though I know you understand that I am happy she didn't stay. Goodbye." Ash told Rudy before hanging up the video phone. Ash then left the Pokémon Center, out into the fresh morning air. He heading to the Contest hall, knowing Misty, Dawn, and Brock would have already arrived there. As he walked, his mind started to wander.

Daydream

"He has done it! Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town has become the victor of the Sinnoh league championships! It's been a long road for the young trainer, but after coming in the top sixteen at the Indigo League, winning the Orange League Championships, and coming in the top eight in both the Johto and Hoenn League, this trainer has finally joined the ranks of the Pokémon Masters! Mr. Goodshow will now present Ash with-"

End Daydream

Wham! Ash, who had not been paying any attention at all, walked right into a man who was standing on the sidewalk.

"Watch where you're going! Do you know who you just crossed?" Asked the man. Ash could tell he was furious. The man was dressed in an odd outfit, with black pants and a shirt with black sleeves, a white section that looked like a T that started at the waist and went up to the shoulders. His shirt had a yellow and black symbol on the front, which looked like an "O" or a "G", Ash couldn't tell because of the design, but he thought it looked more like a "G". He also had a greenish color of hair. The man then walked off, muttering about stupid kids and how they should know better than to bump into him. Ash shook it off and continued toward the contest hall, trying to decide if he should use Aipom for both rounds or switch to Pikachu or Staravia.

"Where have you been?! The signups for the contest are almost over. You better hurry!" Brock scolded Ash as Ash walked through the doors to the contest hall. Ash rushed toward the counter, obtained his contest pass, and registered for the contest. As he registered, he also go a ball capsule that made an effect when a Pokémon came out of its pokéball. He then headed toward the waiting room where Dawn and Misty should be waiting.

"Good, you're here. Misty was getting worried that you wouldn't make it." Dawn told Ash as he walked into the waiting room. Dawn looked a bit nervous, as did Misty, who was sitting over in a corner of the room. It made sense, since it was their first contests. Ash and Brock both had contests in the past, Brock coming in second and Ash tying with May for first. Ash started to walk toward Misty when Dawn tapped him on the back. "Ash, your first to go out to the stage. You might want to head up there now."

Ash headed up to the door, and heard the voice of the announcer, starting to introduce him. "-from Pallet Town, please welcome Ash Ketchum!" With that, Ash ran out onto the stage.

"Aipom, let's go!" Ash said as he threw her pokéball into the air. With lots of flashing stars, Aipom appeared from her pokéball. "Aipom, use swift and then use focus punch and double team!" Aipom shot golden stars out the end of her tail that formed into one big star in the air. Aipom then used double team and one of the Aipoms hit the giant star with a focus punch. The star flew and took out all the fake Aipoms before exploding into a giant fountain of stars.

"Well done young man!" One of the judges said.

"That was remarkable!" said another judge.

"That Aipom is quite strong!" Remarked the local Nurse Joy that was the final judge. After receiving his score, Ash went back to the waiting room, passing Brock on his way there. Time went by, and one by one, the contestants preformed their appeals. The eight trainers that made it to the next round appeared on the overhead screen. Ash, Brock, Dawn, and Misty were all nervous, afraid they hadn't made it.

"Yes!" Dawn exclaimed. She had made it into the next round. Brock's picture was also on the screen. Ash and Misty scanned the screen for their faces. Ash then saw his in the upper right corner of the screen. Misty's expression sunk with sadness.

"I didn't make it…" She said, disappointment permeating her voice. Misty's appeal hadn't gone as well as she had hoped as her Caserin had accidently grazed the announcer with a bubblebeam. Brocks Bonsly's appeal had gone well, with its fake tears gaining lots of sympathy from the judges. Dawn's Piplup had performed well by spinning around in circles at the same time as shooting its bubblebeam.

"Misty, it's all right. You have never been in a contest before. I thought you did really well. You would have gotten through if it hadn't been for a slight slipup with bubblebeam." Ash said, trying to cheer her up. Misty looked up at him, and then looked back down.

"Just leave her alone, she'll get over it soon." Brock told Ash.

The second round continued in the standard contest tournament. Brock had been knocked out first, followed by Ash., though he still thought something fishy had happened. The thunderbolt from Pikachu that would have finished off his opponent's Porygon somehow got redirecting into the ground near it. Ash knew Pikachu's thunderbolt would never miss when its target was standing still like that. Dawn had proceeded to the final round though, after a bit of a shaky start.

"Welcome to the final round of the Jubilife Pokémon Contest! After many great performances by the contestants, there are only two remaining. Everyone give a round of applause for Dawn of Twin Leaf Town!" Momoan, the announcer, said as the crowed burst into applause. "OK, OK, save some applause for the next contestant. Welcome Alice!" The crowd applauded for Alice, but a bit less enthusiastically. "Contestants, good luck!"

"Piplup, come one out!" Dawn shouted as she threw the pokéball, and in a flash of bubbles, Piplup appeared on the stage. "We can do this Piplup, it's the finals." With Dawn's mention of the finals, Piplup froze up, not moving a muscle.

"Looks like your little birdy is afraid. It hasn't seen anything yet. Show that Piplup what it should REALLY be afraid of! Take it out, go, Dratini!" Alice shouted, tossing the pokéball. The Pokémon appeared in a haze of smoke, then a blast of light from inside the smoke shown through, and as the smoke cleared, Dratini was visible with the bump on its head, glowing.

"What a dazzling entrance. Alice seems to have a new entrance planned every time we see her Dratini. Well, good luck to both of you and let the battle begin!

"Don't give her anytime to think! Dratini, use flash!" Alice ordered as soon as soon as the battle began. Dratini let out a bright flash, blinding Piplup. "Now, follow up with wrap attack!" Dratini moved in and wrapped itself around Piplup.

"Piplup, break out, use peck!" Dawn shouted in desperation, knowing that this battle was not in her favor. Piplup's beak glowed as he started to peck Dratini.

"That's enough, Dratini, throw that little runt into the air." Commanded Alice. Dratini obeyed immediately, flinging its tail into the air and sent Piplup flying. "See little girl, your Piplup can fly. Let's see if we can send it into orbit now. Dratini, HYPER BEAM!" A ball of orange and yellow light formed in front of Dratini's head, and then a beam shot out and hit Piplup in midair. Piplup was blasted up to the roof, hit the roof, and then pinned Piplup to the roof. Dawn's points kept draining as Piplup was suspended helplessly in the air.

"Wow, that Dratini is powerful. I've never seen a Pokémon sustain a hyper beam for that long. Piplup is in trouble." Brock said, the surprise showed in his face as well. "I really should ask that Alice if she would tell me how she trained her Dratini. Maybe over dinner tonight…"

"Brock, stop thinking about her and watch the match! If Dawn doesn't do something soon, she's lost." Ash scolded Brock.

_What should I do? That hyper beam is way too strong. I don't know what to do! _As Dawn was pondering what she should have Piplup do to escape, her points ran out.

"And that's it, Alice's Dratini is the winner. Alice, you've won, you can stop your Dratini." Momoan said to Alice.

"Oh, I don't think it is over yet. Dratini, use Draco Meteor!" Alice ordered.

"What! What are you doing? Stop that now!" Yelled Momoan, as Officer Jenney rushed up to the stage. Dratini's whole body glowed, a blue-silver color, and then the ground started to shake. A giant ball of energy formed in front of Dratini, and then blasted up toward Piplup.

"PIPLUP, NO!" Dawn screamed, and then sunk down on her knees, crying. Piplup was hit by the blast, and then fell to the ground. The blast also knocked out the roof, and debris fell to the ground. Dawn rushed over to Piplup, who was extremely beat up. Nurse Joy also rushed over to Piplup to see what kind of condition he was in.

"This is bad, we have to get this Piplup to the Pokémon Center immediately. Follow me!" Nurse joy told Dawn, then picked up Piplup and rushed out the contest hall door. Debris where now littering the ground, spectators where running out the door, screaming and shouting. Ash and Brock rushed down to the stage as police officers rushed through the contest hall door, pushing past the fleeing spectators. Officer Jenney pulled out a pair of handcuffs and walked up the Alice.

"You are under arrest for the destruction of public property and the abuse of another trainer's Pokémon. If you would please come quietly, I'm sure we could-"

"I don't think so. You see, I have other plans. Oh, and you might want to look outside. Your city no longer perfectly calm, or at least it won't be long. Soon, it will be very far from calm." A ladder then descended through the gapping cavity in the roof. There was man hanging on to the ladder, who reached down to grab Alice's hand and pull her up.

"I've seen him before!" Ash shouted as he recognized the man on the ladder. "I bumped in to him on the way here. He seemed really mad about it. Well, now that I know he is friends with that evil lady, it makes more sense. Pikachu, let's stop them!"

"I don't think so, you little punk! Now I can teach you to respect your elders and not run into them. Show him we mean business! Go, Murkrow! Teach him a lesson. Use dark pulse!" Murkrow sent pulses of dark energy out of its beak directly toward Ash and Pikachu. The attack sent Ash and Pikachu flying into a wall. "Now, Murkrow, use haze." Murkrow opened its beak and filled the room with a dark haze. The haze didn't last very long, as the helicopter's rotors blew away the haze, but it was long enough. The next thing Ash knew, the helicopter was starting to fly away. Ash then realized he had seen that design of helicopter before. The last time he had seen it was in Johto, at the Lake of Rage. It was a Team Rocket helicopter. Officer Jenney walked up to Ash while giving orders over her radio after the helicopter was out of sight.

"All units, we have a situation. A member of Team Galactic has assisted a person who attacked the Pokémon contest hall. It also appears that they are planning to attack the city. All officers, secure all sensitive locations. Defensive plan Zero Gamma Five. Officer Jenney, out!" Officer Jenney then helped Ash get to his feet. Misty and Brock had arrived on the scene as well by then, Misty had a very worried look on her face and Brock looked like his mind was at war with itself about asking Jenney out to dinner.

"Ash, are you alright?" Misty asked. Ash looked toward her and saw that she was shaking.

_Odd. _Ash thought. _We've been in lots of dangerous situations like this where team rocket or someone else attacks us, and she's never been this scared. Maybe she __is__ truly scared for me._

"Sir, do you know who those people where? One of them seemed to recognize you." Officer Jenney inquired. "Please, if you could answer quickly, I need to get to the station."

"I bumped into that once guy on the ladder. He seemed really mad about it, but that was all. And that helicopter, it was a Team Rocket helicopter." Ash told her, hoping to get to the Pokémon center soon so he could see how Dawn and Piplup were doing.

"Thanks, well, I've got to go. Please be careful. Make your way directly to the Pokémon Center." With that, Officer Jenney dashed off threw the door, listening to her radio as she went.

"Let's go, we should she how Dawn and Piplup are doing!" Brock ordered and Ash, Brock, and Misty hurried threw the door and headed to the Pokémon Center. As they approached the Pokémon Center, Misty gasped. The area around the Pokémon Center was swarming with people in Team Galactic uniforms. Misty then saw other people spread out throughout the crowd of Team Galactic members. They were in pure black uniforms, wearing black hats and had a large, red "R" on the front of their uniforms. Alice from the Pokémon Contest had her Dratini out in front of her, and had a megaphone up to her mouth.

"Hand over all the Pokémon from the Pokémon Center and we will leave you in peace. If you refuse, my Dratini will break down the door and more Pokémon may be hurt, and we wouldn't want that." Alice said in a sickly sweet through the megaphone.

"Brock, where are the police? They should be here by now. Officer Jenney told them to secure important locations, and wouldn't the Pokémon Center be one of them?" Misty asked. Just then, a few police cruisers roared passed them on the road, heading toward another section of the city.

"I don't think the police are coming. There must be something extremely important in this city that Team Galactic must not have their hand on. I guess it's up to us to protect the Pokémon Center." Brock told Misty and Ash.

"Um, Brock, in case you forgot to look, it is about five to one. I don't like those odds." Ash said, nervous about not being able to save those Pokémon.

"Oh, so you do know how to add." Misty said under her breath.

"Oh, ha ha. Well, it's up to us to save those Pokémon, even if we fail. Pikachu, you ready?" Ash asked his old buddy.

"Pikachu pipichuka ka chu." Pikachu responded, electricity crackling from his checks.

"Let's do this, go, Bonsly!" Brock said, tossing the pokéball into the air. The baby rock Pokémon appeared and got ready for battle.

"Go, Gyarados!" Misty shouted, tossing the pokéball up into the air.

"Come on guys, let's clear the way to the door. Bonsly, use rock throw!" Brock ordered

"Gyarados, use hydro pump!" Misty ordered.

"Pikachu, use thunder!" Ash ordered.

"PikaCHUUU!" Shouted Pikachu as it realized a bolt of electricity. But it wasn't alone. Another blast of electricity and two balls of electricity shot out from behind the Ash, Misty, and Brock. Momentarily distracted from the group of Team Rocket and Team Galactic members in front of the Pokémon center, Ash turned to see the origin of the other electrical attacks. He turned to see and Electabuzz, and two Espeon with their trainers standing behind them. Ash smiled when he saw the three female trainers behind him. Two of them Ash were trainers Ash hadn't seen for a long time, while the third one was very familiar. The three new girls looked at him and smiled.

"Now this evens the odds some more!" Ash cried out, causing Brock and Misty to turn and look for a moment. Brock and Misty smiled as well when they saw the three new arrivals. All six trainers stared at each other for a moment before a ball of dark energy from a Sneasel flew by them and blew up a nearby trashcan. The attack snapped the six trainers back to reality. A explosion occurred in midair when one of Pikachu's thunder attacks hit a sludge bomb attack.

"All right, that's enough. Dratini, hyper beam!" Alice ordered. The hyper beam went straight through the Pokémon Center's glass doors like they weren't even there. But before the devastating energy beam could do any more damage, the beam hit a turquoise colored screen of light. The Pokémon Center's Chansey stood in-between the empty main desk and Dratini, blocking the hyper beam attack. While Chansey was busy holding back the hyper beam, several Team Galactic and Team Rocket grunts stormed the building, making sure to avoid touching the hyper beam attack. Two trainers released a Golbat each, and a third one release a Pokémon Ash had never seen before. It looked like a small rodent with spiky purple fur covering its body. Starting at the top of its head, the Pokémon had a streak of tan fur that ran almost all the way to the tip of its tail. Ash reached into his pocket and pulled out his Pokédex.

"Now is not the time, put that away and keep battling. Just so you know, it's a Stunky and is poison and dark type." Brock said, taking Ash Pokédex and stashing it in his own pocket.

"Ash, we can take them!" Came a soft voice from behind. The girl's Espeon looked at Pikachu, and said something to him. Pikachu ceased his attacks and walked up toward Espeon. Espeon's eyes then started to glow, and Pikachu was lifted into the air. Espeon then used its psychic abilities to send Pikachu hurtling toward Dratini. At the same time, Pikachu's skin began to crackle with electricity and soon Pikachu was consumed in a ball of electricity. Dratini was hit hard in the back when Pikachu collided with it. The energy Pikachu built was immediately discharged into Dratini, and Dratini fell to the ground.

Pikachu then used a quick attack to hurdle itself through the open door toward one of the Golbats that was bearing down on the Pokémon Center's Chansey. Pikachu collided with the Golbat in midair, sending the Golbat sailing into a nearby wall. Chansey then hurled itself toward the other Golbat in a desperate double-edge attack. Golbat dodged out of the way, turned, and flew straight at Chansey, its fangs glowing bright purple. The bat Pokémon bit down on Chansey, sending poison into the Pokémon. Chansey stumbled around for a few seconds, trying to keep its balance till the poison overtook it and it fell to the ground.

Then, in a flash of light, an Alakazam appeared in the Pokémon Center. The new arrival's spoons began to glow as it unleashed a powerful psybeam at the remaining Golbat. The Golbat flew around in circles, until a thunderbolt from Pikachu lanced out through the air, knocking the Pokémon out. Pikachu and Alakazam turned on Stunky, the final enemy Pokémon in the Pokémon Center. The three Pokémon all unleashed attacks at the same moment, a Thunderbolt, hyper beam, and flamethrower all collided at once. With a great explosion, the three Pokémon where knocked back. When the smoked cleared, Alakazam and Pikachu where getting to their feet, but the Stunky was down for the count. Alakazam and Pikachu turned and walked to the entrance, ready to stop anyone else from entering the Pokémon Center.

Misty's Gyarados was finishing off a unfortunate Nidorinio with its flamethrower attack, and Brock's Bonsly was distracting a Beedrill while another Beedrill came at it from behind.

"Oh, all right. All units retreat!" Alice commanded. The Team Rocket and Team Galactic grunts needed no more persuasion, and all took off after returning there Pokémon to their Pokéballs. Alice was the last one to retreat, and yelled at the six trainers as she left. "This isn't the last you'll see of me! I'll get my revenge! Jupiter always has her revenge! Besides, this was just a side venture. The true objective was a success!" She cried out as she left. After she was out of sight, Ash, Misty and Brock turned to the new comers.

"Thanks for the help. Anabel, Casey, Sakura, your Pokémon where great. We couldn't have done it without you. But what are you doing here? I thought the two of you where challenging the Battle Frontier." Misty said to them as she pointed toward Casey and Sakura.

"Well, we were. We got all the way up to Anabel. I beat her by countering her mental commands, but Casey lost to her. I then got destroyed by Brandon when I faced him." Sakura explained.

"What! You mean you where able to give commands to your Pokémon mentally?" Ash asked demandingly. Sakura nodded her head confirming Ash was right.

"I think the reason me and Anabel are able to give orders mentally is because of our connection with psychic Pokémon." Explained Sakura.

"But that didn't answer my original question. What brought you three to the Sinnoh region?" Mist asked, repeating her question.

"Well, Scott gave us permission to train some more and then challenge the Battle Frontier again when we thought we were ready. We considered going to the Hoenn region, but Anabel said that she was planning to come out here and get rid of - umph!" Casey saw interrupted by Anabel elbowing her in the side. "I mean to come out and see you guys again."

Misty looked suspiciously at Anabel but didn't ask anything more about why she wanted to come out here. _It's obvious. _She thought. _Anabel wants to replace me and get to Ash. Not that I know what I think of that. Oh, I don't know what to think of Ash. It was so much easier back in the Cerulean gym. Just deal with challengers and do chores. No boys except the ones Violet, Lily, and Dais kept bringing home. But I didn't have to even know their names. _

"We decided to tag along and compete in the Sinnoh League. We thought it would have taken us a while to catch up with you guys though. I expected you three to be in Oreburg City by now." Sakura said continuing from where Casey had left off.

"Oh, Dawn!" Exclaimed Brock after remembering that she was still inside the Pokémon Center with her Piplup. Misty and Ash also remembered, and started to turn toward the Pokémon Center.

"Dawn?" Sakura, Casey, and Anabel asked simultaneously, a confused expression on their faces.

"Dawn is a new Pokémon Coordinator we began traveling with recently. Her Piplup was hurt really badly during the contest. She brought it to the Pokémon Center right before it was surrounded and attacked." Brock explained.

"Oh, OK. I hope her Pokémon is alright." Sakura said. The six trainers walked through what remained of the Pokémon Center's front door, and went to find the emergency room of the Pokémon Center, where Piplup, Nurse Joy, and Dawn were probably located. Brock also picked up the Chansey that had helped defend the Pokémon center so Nurse Joy could take care of it.

"Ash! Misty! Brock! I'm so glad you guys are alright!" Dawn exclaimed as they walked through the doors into the emergency room. The power was out, probably another one of Team Rocket's and Team Galactic's targets, and the door had been easy to slide open. Piplup was on a stretcher, and didn't look very well. Nurse Joy was doing the best she could for it without power though. Dawn didn't even notice the three new girls that followed Ash, Misty, and Brock into the room. "Nurse Joy is trying to take care of Piplup, but the power is out. We are hoping the power comes back on soon, or-" Dawn couldn't continue and started to weep. Misty walked over to her and tried to calm Dawn down. Brock brought Chansey over to Nurse Joy who told him to put Chansey over on another stretcher.

"Nurse Joy, what about the backup power that Pokémon Centers normally have? The electric Pokémon that normally power this place in an emergency. Couldn't they help with the power?" Brock asked.

I'm afraid they aren't here right now. There was a big blizzard heading toward Snowpoint City, so I sent the Shinx up there to help since they almost always loose power in a large storm." Nurse Joy explained.

"I know, Pikachu, you can help power the center till the main power comes back online." Ash said. Pikachu agreed with him.

"We can help to, go, Electabuzz!" Casey exclaimed, tossing a pokéball into the air. The electric Pokémon appeared in the room. "Electabuzz, help Pikachu power then Pokémon Center until the main power comes back online. Nurse Joy, where is the backup power generator?"

"Take a left in the main lobby, and all the way in the back." Nurse Joy told Casey, not looking up from Piplup.

"Pikachu, Electabuzz, follow me. Let's take care of the power problem." Casey said as she started to walk back out to the lobby. Soon the power was back on for as long as the two electric Pokémon could hold out. Nurse Joy looked at the medical instruments that where now operational again, and turned to Dawn.

"Your Piplup will be fine as long as the power stays on. With the power on, Piplup should be better by tomorrow, but I don't recommend battling with him for a few days." Nurse Joy told Dawn. Dawn sank down to her knees in relief. Dawn then turned to Ash, Misty, Brock, Anabel, and Sakura.

"Who are you two and who was the other girl with the Electabuzz?" Dawn asked.

"I'm Sakura of Ecruteak City in the Johto region. I meet Ash, Misty, and Brock out there, and then later battled Misty for a Cascade badge at her gym." Sakura said.

"Misty, you never told me you had been a gym leader!" Said a surprised Dawn.

"Well, ya" Was all Misty said.

"And I'm Anabel, Salon Maiden and leader of the Battle Tower of the Battle Frontier. The other girl was Casey, from New Bark Town in the Johto region." Anabel said.

"Nice to meet you two." Dawn replied politely, though they could all hear the apprehension in her voice. "So, Nurse Joy and I heard a battle outside. What happened after I left for the Pokémon Center?" Dawn asked. Ash, Misty, and Brock took turns explaining what happened. While they were explaining, Casey reentered the room.

"But why did Alice say 'Jupiter always has her revenge'?" Dawn asked after she had finished.

"That is probably because her real name is Jupiter . If she is really a commander in Team Galactic like it looked like she was, it would be stupid to use her real name to enter a Pokémon contest. The question is, why did she enter the Pokémon Contest in the first place, if she just turned around and ruined it. Well I'd say this is enough excitement for one day. We should take it easy for the rest of the day, and then tomorrow find out what happened to the rest of the city. All of our Pokémon are exhausted, so it wouldn't be a very good idea to go venturing outside until they are better, just in case Team Rocket and Team Galactic haven't been driven out yet. Another thing I can't understand is why those two criminal organizations are working together. To my knowledge, they have conflicting goals. I would not be surprised if their parternship ends quickly enough and they turn on each other"

* * *

Well, thats it for chapter 7. Hope everyone enjoyed it. Feel free to review. I don't know when the next chapter will be done now that school has started again and I still have work to deal with. I am taking a writing class this year to help improve my writing. Hopefully you will notice the improvements within the next two chapters or so. 


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